Basic Preparation for Transformation
Week 3, Email 3, Friday
Week 3, Email 3, Friday
Preparing for Heaven Needs to Be Now: Part Three
Losses with the Opportunity to Gain Lost Ground, but Not to Catch Up
Hopefully, this will become clear with a few examples.
My wife Jean can taste single ingredients of the minutest measure in things she eats. I can’t. It doesn’t bother me that she has this ability I do not have. In this regard, her quality of life is more sensitive to taste, and I am content because I can’t miss what I have never had.
Likewise, in heaven we will not be unhappy when others have greater degrees of some physical or spiritual skill. Since there is no pain in heaven, nor sin, we probably won’t be aware of the disparity in quality of life.
Here are two more examples of a slower start in heaven, thus a lesser degree in quality of eternal life.
I loved to play basketball. But I went to work 30 hours a week when I was 14 and was never on a team. I played great street ball and was a terrific shot, winning most of my games. But I never learned one organized play. I did not practice drills. In heaven I will be extremely happy playing basketball. But, I will not start out at the level of an NBA player. And I won’t want to. Maybe in time I will be playing HBA (Heaven Basketball Association) level, but by that time those believers who played NBA when they entered heaven will have progressed ahead of me, most likely to the same degree they were ahead of me at the beginning.
In other words, if I enter heaven with basketball skills at a level of 2 and a Christian NBA player enters at the level of 10, eventually I will achieve a 10. But he will be at 18. I hope you understand the point. Keep in mind that I will be happy all the way, but my quality of life will be stunted even if I do not realize it.
Not an athlete? Okay, I flunked second grade violin and have never been able to read music. Frankly, I am excited to finally learn when I get to heaven. But it is unlikely I will ever catch up to those who enter heaven able to read music and play an instrument.
Ignoring the Togethers will lead to losses in quality of life in heaven similar to these examples. Perhaps you don’t want to be behind everyone else for all of eternity.
More important, remember that it is not all about you and your quality of life in the hereafter. It is what Jesus asked for right now, before we die, as love for Him. Grow in obedience to the Togethers for your Savior. But, in the back of your mind, be aware that you are storing up treasures in heaven.
Danger: There are Losses without Opportunity to Advance
Underachieving on some Togethers will lead to some joys in heaven being lost forever, especially in your personal relationship with God.
These will be losses in being able to connect and bond with God about what He has done in the sinful environment of earth. If you value closeness, understanding and connection with your friends, imagine not having closeness, understanding and connection for eternity with God in some important areas.
For example, in heaven I may be able to advance in my basketball skills, but not the skill of playing my best while being sworn at and called degrading names by an opposing player. I will be stuck at the level of my play while being demeaned where it climaxed in the sinful environment. There will be no opportunity to advance because there will be no sin in heaven and no non-believer driven by Satan’s power to harass me. Yet, God has put up with such abuse, and, if I get to talk with Him about it and have lovingly put up with something similar, I will be able to say, “I know a little what you went through.”
Rewards and the Privilege of Serving God in Heaven
While we get into heaven free of charge because Jesus bought with his life our admittance, our experience in heaven will be different than that of others in the way of rewards. Rewards are given based on how we proved ourselves to God in our sinful culture.
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me,
and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:12
and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Revelation 22:12
It seems that the rewards in heaven will be places and positions of serving God. The parables Jesus told of money given by a landowner to servants and the rewards of proper investing indicate rewards in the form of responsibilities of service. In Matthew 25 the reward is to be put in charge of many thing and in Luke 19 the reward is to be put in charge of cities.
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Mt 25:23
“Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied.
‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter,
take charge of ten cities.”
Luke 19:17
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Mt 25:23
“Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied.
‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter,
take charge of ten cities.”
Luke 19:17
If rewards in heaven will be different levels of service (jobs) commensurate with what we have proven capable before we get there, we want to take very seriously how we live now. Obviously, our quality of life in heaven, with its stored treasure and places of service and opportunity, hangs in the balance of how we live here amidst sin.
And then there is the matter of where our heart is now and how big our heart for God will be when we enter heaven.
And then there is the matter of where our heart is now and how big our heart for God will be when we enter heaven.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, . . .
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, . . .
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Mt 6:19-21
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, . . .
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Mt 6:19-21
This is my allegory of rewards in heaven. Scripture only tells us that there are rewards and treasures in heaven that will be different for each of us based on our obedience while in “boot camp” in this sinful environment.
I once spoke with a man who was leaving his wife and children for another woman. I was his wife’s psychotherapist. Since I had also been the husband’s Sunday School teacher, I asked to meet with him. I explained that his decision had implications for his quality of life in heaven something like this: “The quality of your life for all of eternity will be negatively affected if you leave your wife and children. Sure, you believe in Christ and will go to heaven, but your reward in heaven will be much less. Imagine that the reward is a place of service to God and other inhabitants of heaven. Imagine also that heaven will be like our world, but without sin.”
“God won’t be able to place you in the position of a mayor of a small town because you do not love Him enough and you are proving that you cannot be responsible with the lives of others, even very special people like your children. God won’t be able to place you as an accountant or any position of responsibility because you do not love Him enough to do things his way.” “So, you will probably be assigned the job of sweeping the hardware store floor. You will be spiritually disabled, happy in a dumbed-down way. For all of eternity you will miss out on many things. While the Mayors’ Conference at the Throne of God is held monthly, the Sweepers Conference will be once every two years. God will be Someone you grow in heaven to love much more than you did on earth, but won’t see frequently. |
This man still chose to desert his family. But, had he relied on the Holy Spirit, he could have gone home and the Togethers could have guided him in making a wonderful family life.
Final Encouragement
Each of the Togethers leads the way to ever increasing abilities in heaven. We urge all Christians to be encouraged to seek the Christian faith like an Olympian with lots of practice and ever increasing ability.
Final Encouragement
Each of the Togethers leads the way to ever increasing abilities in heaven. We urge all Christians to be encouraged to seek the Christian faith like an Olympian with lots of practice and ever increasing ability.