Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 177

In Heaven, Can There Be Thrills without Risk?

A sincere young man told me that no matter what I might say, Heaven must be boring. Why? “Because you can’t appreciate good without bad, light without darkness, or safety without danger. If Heaven is safe, if there’s no risk, it has to be boring.”

His first mistake was assuming there’s no good without bad. God said Earth was “very good” before there was sin or anything bad (Genesis 1:31). Adam and Eve enjoyed Eden’s goodness before experiencing the badness of sin. This young man’s next mistake was believing that a person has to currently see evil at work to appreciate good and to currently be in danger to appreciate safety.

My father lived through the Great Depression. He told me stories of sleeping outside in the cold, covered only with newspaper. Dad first told me these stories fifty years after the fact. He’d been able to sleep inside for half a century, but he vividly remembered the hard times. Suppose someone had said to him, “You can’t appreciate having a warm fire and a warm bed unless there’s the threat of sleeping out in the cold tonight.” He’d say, “You think I’ll ever forget those days?” His memories didn’t make him miserable; they made him grateful.

After our bodily resurrection, we’ll still remember the darkness and dangers of this life. We’ll contrast our past experiences with the light and safety of the New Earth, and we’ll be profoundly grateful.

The same young man went on to say, “I like mountain climbing and extreme sports. I enjoy working hard and sweating. But there won’t be any challenges in Heaven. If there’s no risk of falling and dying, it can’t be really fun.”

Where does Scripture say there won’t be challenges or hard work in Heaven? Were there no challenges in Eden? The Bible says there will be no more evil or suffering—not that there won’t be challenges.

Did Adam and Eve work hard? Did they sweat and get sore? Everyone who enjoys sports knows that there’s a “good tired” and a “good sore.” It’s satisfying. It’s part of knowing you’ve stretched yourself. Why wouldn’t our resurrection bodies sweat? God didn’t create sweat glands after the Fall, did he?

Why couldn’t we tumble while climbing on the New Earth? Won’t there be gravity? Adam and Eve couldn’t die, but couldn’t they skin their knees? God didn’t originally create bodies without nerve endings, did he? Perhaps they could fall, do minor damage, and then heal quickly. We’re told that on the New Earth there’ll be no more death, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). But we’re also told, “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). No one will suffer or die on the New Earth, but this passage suggests that there might be enough minor damage to require healing.

But even if there’s absolutely no injury, fear of injury and death aren’t essential to excitement, are they? If you knew that in thirty years there hadn’t been a single fatality on a roller coaster, couldn’t you still be thrilled by the ride? When our daughters were small, they experienced the thrill of rides at the fair as I held them tightly. The fun was in moving fast, spinning around, feeling the wind on their faces. In the same way, couldn’t we parachute from a plane and have an exhilarating free fall even if we knew there was a zero percent chance of dying? (Some of us might consider that more fun, not less.)

I believe our resurrection bodies will have adrenaline and the ability to feel. On the New Earth we may experience adventures that make our current mountain climbs, surfing, skydiving, and upside-down roller coaster rides seem tame. Why do I say this? It’s more than wishful thinking. It’s an argument from design. We take pleasure in exhilarating experiences not because of sin but because God wired us this way. We weren’t made to sit all day in dark rooms, watching actors pretend to live and athletes do what we can’t. We were made to live vibrant lives. Some of us are physically limited, and others are emotionally unable to handle too much excitement. But those are just temporary conditions. There’s a new world coming—and a new us.

Because God’s design wasn’t an accident—because he doesn’t make mistakes—we can be sure that excitement and exhilaration will be more, not less, a part of our experience in Heaven than it is now.

Skydiving without a parachute? Maybe, maybe not. Scuba diving without an air tank? I hope so. Will we be able to tolerate diving to depths of hundreds of feet without special equipment? We know that our resurrection bodies will be superior. Won’t it be fantastic to test their limits and to invent new technologies that extend our ability to explore and enjoy God in the mighty realms he makes?

Those who know God and believe his promise of bodily resurrection can dream great dreams.

One day we will live those dreams.

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Fourteen Lessons on Prayer from Daniel 9-10

1. Position yourself for prayer by reading Scripture first.

“In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years” (v. 2).

2. Follow Scripture’s lead toward what you should pray for. (If prayer’s the train, make Scripture the rails.) 

“So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition...” (v. 3)

3. Pray humbly, recognizing your utter unworthiness before an all-holy God. 

“...prayer and petition in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” (v. 3) 

4. Begin by praising God for His attributes, His greatness and faithfulness. Let God’s character provide the context for prayer, so He’s the center of gravity, not you.

“I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands...’“ (v. 4)

5. Confess your sins, taking full responsibility, without rationalization, spin or self-exemption. 

“We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.” (v. 5-6) 

6. Permeate prayer with affirmations of God’s amazing grace and your profound gratitude—never asking for what you deserve, but thanking Him that He’s given you infinitely better than you deserve.

“Lord, you are righteous but we are covered with shame...you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you...we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled; we have not obeyed...All Israel has transgressed your Law and turned away, refusing to obey you.” (v. 7-11a) 

7. Before bringing your requests, repeatedly affirm God’s worthiness and your unworthiness—never forget who you are, and Who you’re talking to.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the law of Moses...have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you! You have fulfilled the words spoken...by bringing upon us great disaster...just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us.” (v. 11b-12a) 

8. Never blame God for sin, its consequences or for life’s hardships.

“Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD is righteous in everything; yet we have not obeyed him.” (v. 12b-14) 

9. Make requests in light of God’s past acts of faithfulness. Rehearse those acts to God, as demonstrated in Scripture, history, and your own personal and family life. 

“Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned and done wrong. O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem...” (v. 15-16) 

10. Pray for God’s sake, His glory, and His reputation, reminding yourself it’s all about Him, not you. 

“Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. ...O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” (v. 17-19)

11. Pray with a heartfelt recognition of God’s undeserved grace on behalf of you and others. 

“We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.” (v.18) 

12. God hears our prayers and starts responding to them (when we pray with Daniel’s attitude and perspective) before we can see results, and even when we can’t see results at all. 

“While I was still in prayer Gabriel the man came to me in swift flight. “I have come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given...which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.” (v. 21-23) 

13. God deploys angels on missions in response to humble, biblically-based, God-centered prayers. 

“I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks...I looked and there was a man...”I have been sent to you”...Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.’“ (10:12) 

14. Prayer mobilizes righteous angels, who engage in intense turf warfare against fallen angels, with kingdom claims at stake. Answers to prayer may be hastened or delayed as a result of this warfare. 

“But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come [in response to prayer, having been immediately dispatched, but delayed three weeks in warfare]...Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the King of Persia...Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come...No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince...” (10:13-14, 20-21)

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The Lion’s Claws

In C. S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Eustace Clarence Scrubb describes to Edmund how terrible it felt when Aslan, the Lion and Christ-figure, changed him from the dragon he’d become to the boy he was intended to be.

“The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off. You know—if you’ve ever picked the scab off a sore place. It hurts like billy-oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” said Edmund.

“Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off—just as I thought I’d done it myself the other three times, only they hadn’t hurt—and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me— I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on—and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again.”

I too have felt the claws of the Lion of Judah. I can tell you, it hurts. But I would rather be hurt by my God as He cleanses and heals me than to slowly die without His cleansing and healing because I’ve tried to protect myself from being hurt.

Eustace ends up loving the Lion who inflicted the pain. Through his anguish, the boy came to trust Aslan’s good intentions and love. So will we, in the end. But let’s not wait. The sooner we come to trust His goodness, the lighter the pain—no matter how great—we bear.

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The Power of One-on-One and Thoughts on “Natural-Born Evangelists”

My friend Jim Stump has a new book out, released earlier this year, called The Power of One-on-One: Discovering the Joy and Satisfaction of Mentoring Others:

When Jesus walked the earth, he focused his energies not on filling stadiums but on twelve handpicked disciples whom he mentored and equipped to carry our ministries of their own. For the past forty years, Jim Stump could often be found sitting in a cafe on the Stanford University campus, chatting with some of the most talented athletes in the world, getting to know them, walking with them, sharing his life with them, and loving them. He understands that the best way to have an eternal impact on the world is to develop deep and meaningful relationships with a handful of people.

With engaging personal stories and examples from the life of Jesus, Jim Stump shows you how to develop rich mentoring relationships with the people in your life, providing simple steps toward sharing faith and life with those you care about.

Jim Stump is the real deal. I love who he is and what he does. Jim’s brother John is a friend, and John’s son Dan, Jim’s nephew, married my daughter Angela. I couldn’t be happier to have grandsons with the last name Stump. Jim and I don’t exchange Christmas gifts (you first, Jim), but I hear great reports about him at family gatherings.

Years ago, when I first spent time with Jim, I was struck with his genuineness. He’s all about Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, who alone can draw hearts to God.

I’ve read books about evangelism that credit a technique. Jim credits the gospel and the power of God. It’s a relief to know the work of salvation can’t be done by us. We’re “just” the messengers . . . but what a job!

I appreciate how Jim models loving people and investing in them. He doesn’t want them just to go through the motions, but to follow Christ with abandonment for a lifetime. And he’s there to help them do just that.

When it comes to sharing the gospel, Jim seems to be a natural. But this kind of “natural” is not like a fish swimming. It’s like a veteran tennis player swinging a racquet. A fish may be born swimming, but a tennis player wasn’t born holding a racquet. He was coached and corrected, and he worked hard to achieve that “natural” swing. I was encouraged to learn it was once difficult for Jim to share his faith!

I coached high school tennis for ten years. Coaches tell players to do seemingly unnatural things. Some players quickly conclude, “This doesn’t work,” and go back to their old habits. But unless they’re willing to work on the skills coaches offer, they won’t be great tennis players. It’s those willing to learn who receive huge payoffs.

Raised in an unbelieving home, I vividly remember coming to Christ as a teenager. I’ve had many experiences of sharing Jesus with people at schools, on planes, and on tennis courts. Some friends think I’m a natural-born evangelist. But I’m not! I find the hardest thing is choosing to open my mouth. Once I do, the Lord graciously gives me the words. Sharing my faith isn’t as “natural” for me as for Jim Stump, but it’s far more natural than it once was. For that I thank God.

I found The Power of One-on-One to be clear, direct, and refreshing. Reading it made me eager to be more intentional about sharing my faith and mentoring others.

Everyone we meet has exactly the same need—to know and follow Jesus Christ. He did the hard work of redemption. He calls us to do our part, one-on-one, sharing the Good News with those who desperately need him and helping them grow.

I enthusiastically encourage you to read Jim’s book. I guarantee it’s worth it!

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What Society Will Never Tell You: True Beauty Is Inner Beauty

If you frequent social media, perhaps you’ve seen singer Colbie Caillat’s music video for her song “Try,” in which she challenges society’s expectations of beauty for women.  The video, which features the singer and several other diverse women removing their makeup and ending the song as their natural selves, has gone viral since its release earlier this month, receiving over 13 million views.

Colbie Caillat’s song has hit a nerve with many women who struggle to live up to looking like society says they should. This issue is nothing new. Psychology Today compared the results of 1972 surveys and 1985 surveys on how people felt about their bodies and overall appearance. Over 50 percent more women were dissatisfied with their bodies in 1985 than in 1972. Though I can’t find a subsequent update of these particular surveys, various studies confirm that the trend has only continued. In our appearance-centered culture, where the appearance of youthfulness and outer beauty is held to with a white-knuckled grip, this increasing dissatisfaction is a major source of stress.

The mainstays of the American economy are self-improvement products such as makeup, perfume, soap, deodorant, clothing and spa treatments. Since women are the main buyers of self-improvement products, advertisements are geared to women. Advertising’s one purpose is, of course, to sell.

Ads must convince the consumer of her need. To do this, they must first persuade her that she is inadequate and incomplete without a particular product. Advertising preys upon, contributes to, and reinforces a woman’s poor self-image. As a result, powerful and disturbing feelings of inadequacy tug at a woman’s mind—and her wallet. She buys beauty in the form of body wash, attention in the form of perfume, romance in the form of shampoo.

Age spots, split ends, graying hair, and cellulite are fates worse than death, if media propaganda is right. Years ago, women, while conscious of their appearance, didn’t worry about age spots because, if they had them or even knew what they were, they weren’t bombarded with warnings about them. Maturity was part of life, nothing to be ashamed of, and most often a badge of honor. In many cultures gray hair is still regarded as a sign of wisdom.

It’s not enough for women to wash and brush their hair. Now they are expected to condition it, color it, perm it if it’s straight and straighten it if it’s curly, gel it, and cut it in fashionable ways. Woman has been recreated in the image of the Media god.

Facial surgeries, breast implants, and other non-accident-related cosmetic surgeries often betray a sad insecurity that will continue to plague a woman after the procedures are done. The woman who cannot accept her God-given features does not understand that God longs for her to cultivate her inner woman. By focusing on appearance and image rather than character and spirit, many women live in a world of superficiality that ultimately dooms their self-esteem because beauty, as they have wrongly defined it (in outer terms), will inevitably diminish.

Self-image should be based on what God’s Word says is true of us. The world says you are worth a certain amount because you look a certain way or can perform a certain way. God says you are valuable regardless of society’s standards.

Remind yourself of the true basis of your personal identity. Who you are is rooted in Christ and who He has made you, not in your outward appearance or performance. Rehearse the fact that the most important part of your life is the part that only God sees. His deepest concern is about the inner you. True beauty is inner beauty, and it does not diminish but deepens as you grow older and your friendship with Him develops.

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The King’s Offer

Imagine a great and generous king. In the midst of his benevolent reign, he hears his subjects have revolted. He sends messengers to investigate. The rebels kill them. So he sends his own dear son, the prince. They murder him viciously, hanging his body on the city wall. 

What would you expect the king to do now? Send his armies and take revenge, naturally. Kill the rebels. Burn the villages to ashes. He has both the power and the right. 

But what if the king offered these criminals a full pardon? 

“I will accept my son—whom you murdered—as the payment for all your rebellion. You may go free. All I require is for you to admit your transgressions.”

We’d be stunned—blown away—to hear this, wouldn’t we? But the king’s not finished. 

“I invite any of you to come live in my palace, eat at my table and enjoy all the pleasures of my kingdom. And, I will adopt you as my own children and make you my heirs, so everything that’s mine will be yours forever.” 

Incredible.

Then he says, “I won’t force you to accept my offer. But the only alternative is spending the rest of your life in prison. The choice is yours.”

Can you imagine anyone responding, “How dare the king send anyone to prison? What a cruel tyrant!” 

This is God’s grace to us. If trying to comprehend it doesn’t stretch your brain, you just aren’t getting it. 

Because grace is so incomprehensible to us, we bootleg in conditions so we won’t look so bad and God’s offer won’t seem so counterintuitive. By the time we’re done qualifying the gospel, we’re no longer unworthy and powerless. We’re no longer wretches. And grace is no longer grace. The worst thing we can teach people is that they’re good without Jesus. The fact is, God doesn’t offer grace to good people, any more than doctors offer lifesaving surgery to healthy people. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).

Never believe anything about yourself or God that makes His grace to you seem anything less than astonishing. 

Because that’s exactly what it is.

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A 12-Year-Old Reviews My Graphic Novel, Eternity

Check out the following review of my graphic novel Eternity by 12-year-old Katy Williams, who I’m told writes her own blog, including book reviews, by herself, without assistance from adults. (In fact, since nearly everything I write gets edited, I get more assistance from adults than she does!)

My friend Roger Manning gave Katy the book and alerted me to her review, which became an instant favorite. I love her heart, her mind and her writing. I hope you’ll explore her website yourself, and maybe send your kids and grandkids there. We need more young people, and people of every age, like Katy.

Eternity by Randy Alcorn

For my birthday, I was given the book Eternity by Randy Alcorn. (Thank you, Mr. Manning!) Being an avid reader, I quickly dove into this book. Since I don't read comic books very often, I was rather skeptical. However, in a few minutes I was so enthralled that I don't think I would've noticed if the house were burning down!

Eternity illustrates the parable of the rich man and Lazarus through the eyes of the rich man's servant. It also tells of Jesus' teachings, crucifixion, and victory over sin and death. In this one hundred twenty plus page book, Mr. Alcorn skillfully weaves together two seemingly separate stories into an intriguing and thought provoking book. Some details and conversations have been added, but they fit with the time period, and aren't contrary to Scripture.

True to comic book style, Eternity is filled with wonderful illustrations, and amazing details. Another thing that I feel is very well portrayed is the emotion. Everything from the grief felt by Jesus' followers at his death, to the angels' righteous zeal for justice is captivating. Eternity doesn't give just the bare facts. While reading the book, I found it easy to understand what the characters were thinking, and the reasons behind their choices. Very few books I have read are able to do that. 

Eternity isn't just for believers. The story requires no foreknowledge of the Bible, and the Gospel is clearly presented at the end of the book.

Thanks, Katy, for the great review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. I have another graphic novel, about the Apostle Paul, that I just finished writing, and the artists are doing a terrific job on it right now! It will also be published by Kingstone, and I will be sure to send you a copy.

You might enjoy the two-minute trailer for Eternity also:

For readers, please also check out Katy’s thoughtful review of the popular song “Let It Go,” from the Disney movie “Frozen.” This is the kind of discernment we as believers should seek to cultivate.

Keep writing, Katy!!!!! And may many others follow your example.

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Through Heaven's Doorway

When five-year-old Emily Kimball was hospitalized and heard she was going to die, she started to cry. Even though she loved Jesus and wanted to be with him, she didn’t want to leave her family behind. Then her mother had an inspired idea. She asked Emily to step through a doorway into another room, and she closed the door behind her. One at a time, the entire family started coming through the door to join her. Her mother explained that this was how it would be. Emily would go ahead to Heaven and then the rest of the family would follow. Emily understood. She would be the first to go through death’s door. Eventually, the rest of the family would follow, probably one by one, joining her on the other side.

The analogy would have been even more complete if the room that Emily entered had had someone representing Jesus to greet her—along with departed loved ones and Bible characters and angels. Also, it would’ve helped if the room she walked into was breathtakingly beautiful, and contained pictures of a New Earth, vast and unexplored, where Emily and her family and friends would one day go to live with Jesus forever.

Every person reading this blog is dying. Perhaps you have reason to believe that death will come very soon. You may be troubled, feeling uncertain, or unready to leave. Make sure of your relationship with Jesus Christ. Be certain that you’re trusting him alone to save you—not anyone or anything else, and certainly not any good works you’ve done. And then allow yourself to get excited about what’s on the other side of death’s door.

I’ve often read at memorial services this depiction of a believer’s death:

I’m standing on the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She’s an object of beauty and strength and I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and the sky come down to mingle with each other. And then I hear someone at my side saying, “There, she’s gone.”

Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side. And just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “There, she’s gone,” there are other eyes watching her coming, and there are other voices ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”

And that is dying. [1]

The place of our arrival will be a beautiful, though temporary, place where we’ll await the culmination of history: the return of the risen Jesus, who will resurrect us. When his millennial reign is accomplished (whether that’s a nonliteral present reign or a literal thousand-year future reign), we’ll join him in ruling the New Earth, free of sin and the Curse.

Five months before he died, C. S. Lewis wrote to a woman who feared that her own death was imminent. Lewis said, “Can you not see death as a friend and deliverer? . . . What is there to be afraid of? . . .Your sins are confessed. . . . Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. . . . Our Lord says to you, ‘Peace, child, peace. Relax. Let go. I will catch you. Do you trust me so little?’ . . . Of course, this may not be the end. Then make it a good rehearsal.”

Lewis signed the letter, “Yours (and like you, a tired traveler, near the journey’s end)." [2}

We see life differently when we realize that death isn’t a wall but a turnstile; a small obstacle that marks a great beginning. Calvin Miller put it beautifully:

I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death,
When it was but the end of pulse and breath,
But now my eyes have seen that past the pain
There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed.
Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,
For living’s such a temporary art.
And dying is but getting dressed for God,
Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod. [3]

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[1] Variously attributed to Henry Scott Holland and Henry Van Dyke; source uncertain.

[2] C. S. Lewis, Letters to an American Lady (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967), 117.

[3] Calvin Miller, The Divine Symphony (Minneapolis: Bethany, 2000), 139.

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Where Do We Find the Motivation to Invest Eternally?

Peter encouraged Christians to find joy by focusing not on the trial that will go on only “a little while” but on their heavenly inheritance that will never perish. As missionary martyr Jim Elliot put it, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Why work for what has no lasting value? Why rejoice over what in the end will not matter?

God tells us, “We have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Peter 1:4).

In times of suffering, we must remember what is awaiting us in eternity with Christ. Romans8:18says, “What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” Second Corinthians4:17promises, “Our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”

Though the glory of Christ is precious above all, Christ also promises a derivative glory for his people that we will experience in Heaven. Some say Christ should be our only treasure. The Bible says Christ should be our primary treasure. When God commands us to store up treasures for ourselves, that doesn’t mean we are to store up christs for ourselves (which it would have to mean if he were our only treasure). Christ is not our only treasure, but also the Treasure above and behind all treasures.

Note also that Jesus does not say, “Store up for God treasures in heaven”; he said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20, NIV). This may sound selfish, but it is Christ’s command to us, so we should eagerly obey it. Christ’s promise of eternal rewards for our present stewardship choices gives the believer an incentive to do what the Philippian Christians did in giving to Paul’s missionary work—withdrawing funds from their earthly accounts to deposit them into ventures with eternal value. “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account” (Philippians 4:17, NIV). Once again, Paul is speaking about depositing treasures in Heaven by generous Kingdom giving.

Suppose I offer you $1,000 to spend today however you want. Not a bad deal. But suppose I give you a choice—you can either have that $1,000 today, or you can have $10 million if you’ll wait one year—then $10 million more every year thereafter. What will you choose? Only a fool would take the $1,000 today.

A year might seem a long time to wait for the payoff. But after it passes, wouldn’t you be grateful you waited? Likewise, won’t we be far more grateful in Heaven that we chose to forego earthly treasures in order to enjoy forever the treasures we sent ahead?

This is delayed gratification. Soldiers, athletes, and farmers all know that long­term benefits justify short-term sacrifices (2 Timothy 2:3‑6). The same principle applies to those who live in light of eternity. Only when we adopt an eternal perspective will we eagerly follow our Lord’s command to devote our brief lives on Earth to the pursuit of eternal treasure.

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Is It Unloving to Speak of Hell?

If you were giving some friends directions to Denver and you knew that one road led there but a second road ended at a sharp cliff around a blind corner, would you talk only about the safe road? No. You would tell them about both, especially if you knew that the road to destruction was wider and more traveled. In fact, it would be terribly unloving not to warn them about that other road.

For the same reason, we must not believe Satan’s lie that it’s unloving to speak to people about Hell. The most basic truth is that there are only two possible destinations after death: Heaven and Hell. Each is just as real and just as eternal as the other. Unless and until we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we’re headed for Hell. The most loving thing we can do for our friends and our family is to warn them about the road that leads to destruction and tell them about the road that leads to life.

It would upset us, but would we think it unloving if a doctor told us we had a potentially fatal cancer? And would the doctor not tell us if the cancer could be eradicated? Why then do we not tell unsaved people about the cancer of sin and evil and how the inevitable penalty of eternal destruction can be avoided by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ?

If we understood Hell even the slightest bit, none of us would ever say, “Go to Hell.” It’s far too easy to go to Hell. It requires no change of course, no navigational adjustments. We were born with our autopilot set toward Hell. It is nothing to take lightly—Hell is the single greatest tragedy in the universe.

God loves us enough to tell us the truth—there are two eternal destinations, not one, and we must choose the right path if we are to go to Heaven. All roads do not lead to Heaven. Only one does: Jesus Christ. He said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). All other roads lead to Hell. The high stakes involved in the choice between Heaven and Hell will cause us to appreciate Heaven in deeper ways, never taking it for granted, and always praising God for His grace that delivers us from what we deserve and grants us forever what we don’t.

Each blog regularly appears on my Facebook page where people often comment on it. If you’d like to comment or see others’ comments, we invite you to join us there.

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