Heaven is real—but what difference does it make right now? Is the old quip true, that Christians are so heavenly minded they aren’t any earthly good? Definitely not—and in face the opposite should be the case.
First, because heaven is real, we have hope: hope for the future, and hope for our lives right now. No matter what happens to us now, we know it won’t last forever, and ahead of us is the joy of heaven.
Paul wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:19). But our hope isn’t only for this life! In the midst of life’s storms, our hope in God’s promise of heaven is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19).
In addition, because heaven is real, our lives have meaning and purpose right now. Before he turned to God, the writer of Ecclesiastes concluded, “Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Many today come to the same conclusion. But when we know Christ, we know life isn’t meaningless, because God has a reason for keeping us here. Every day is a gift from Him and is another opportunity to love Him and serve Him. Heaven doesn’t make this life less important; it makes it more important.
This leads to a final difference heaven should make: Because heaven is real, we should live every moment for Christ. Life is short; none of us knows how long we have. Live each day as if it were your last—for some day it will be. Peter wrote, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11-12). If you are ever going to live for Christ, it should be now.
Is heaven your goal? Are you looking forward to going there? I know I am, and I pray you are too. What a glorious future God has prepared for us!
Don’t let the burdens and hardships of this life distract you or discourage you, but keep your eyes firmly fixed on what God has promised at the end of our journey: heaven itself.
