Heaven!  Wow!  The mere thought of Heaven brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart.  I think of my Saviour and all the people that I love that are already there.  I know that my loved ones are not hurting, and they do not see what is happening on this earth. 

All around us we see negativity and despondency.  Many people are hurting and looking for answers.  When we look at the news, we see lies and deceit.  It is difficult to know what the truth really is.  We know we are being lied to and controlled in ways we never imagined.  It seems that there is no hope.

But we must remember, we have to look for hope in the right place.  If we are Christians, Jesus Christ is our joy, hope, and our future.  A recent Sunday School lesson at our church was entitled “Temporary Tears, Eternal Joy.”  What does that mean?  Simply put, no matter what this world throws at us, it is only temporary.  We do not know the future.  Many Christians are persecuted in other countries far more than we can ever imagine.  They get through it because they have their eyes on Christ who suffered all for them, and they know their suffering is temporary.  Heaven awaits them.

We must also remember, no matter how bad things get in America, we can handle whatever comes our way.  As Christians, our main task is to follow Christ and be an example of His love. We must win others to Him.  If we are just as discouraged and depressed as this lost and dying world, the lost will not feel we have anything to offer them.  They must see our Jesus and not only the peace He gives on this earth, but the Heaven that awaits them if they accept His gift of salvation.

We talked about Heaven in my devotion class at the academy this week.  We even discussed the fact that Heaven is the light at the end of the tunnel.  We talked about how glorious it will be when we arrive and the mansion Jesus has gone to prepare for us. Since we have no way of understanding the magnitude of Heaven, we used our earthly imaginations to describe what our abiding place may be like when we get there.

We also discussed what we thought Heaven would be like.  Everyone mentioned what they thought would and would not be there. Of course, the things a seventeen-year-old imagines and the things a sixty-year-old imagines are completely different.  I must admit, there were some similarities.  The thought of never having to worry about calories sounded quite nice.

I did remind them that our idea of Heaven cannot compare to what it really is.  I don’t think that counting calories will even be on our minds.  The magnificence of Jesus and being in His presence will overshadow any other thoughts we may have.

We also discussed the rewards we will be able to place at the Saviour’s feet.   I Corinthians 3:12-15 discusses these rewards or the lack thereof.  These verses are addressing the saved person.  We make choices in our lives.  Once we are saved the Lord expects us to grow in His Word and in the fruits of the Spirit.  We are to serve Him in sincerity and in truth.

Verse 12 states, now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble; So what is the difference in the different types of works.  The following verses explain the difference.  When we come before the Father, our works will be made manifest.  In other words, we will find out if we really did the good works on earth for Him and His glory or for our own reasons.

Matthew 6:2 says that a man who does things for himself or for his own glory already has his reward.  This means his works are burned with fire.  What is the distinction between what is burned and what is not?  I puzzled over this in my own life.  What works are going to be considered worthy of reward and which are going to be burned?

I told my class, sometimes I do what I do because I am supposed to.  It is just the right thing to do.  I admitted that sometimes I just don’t want to come to school either.  I would rather be home.  So, is that wood, hay, and stubble or is that precious in God’s eyes.  I did not get up and say “I am going to school because God wants me to and I want to bring Him glory.”  I was not angry that I had to go, nor was I in a bad mood.  But what is the distinction?

I really could not answer the question, so I went to the next source that I usually try.  I asked my husband.  He explained he felt that as a Christian, everything we do except for when we sin, we do for God’s glory. So, when we brush our teeth or our hair, it is for God’s glory.  Now that changes if when we get ready in the morning, we admire our beauty, or we dress to please or entice someone.  If we dress in such a way that dishonors God, that is sin.  Our motives determine what will be burned and what will remain as rewards.

I asked my students why they obeyed their parents or teachers.  Some said because they had to, some said because they didn’t want to get in trouble, others said they just do it without thinking about it, and one said she didn’t want to hurt her mom.  Then I explained that when they obeyed their parents and authorities in their lives, they are doing it for God.  Their attitudes make a big difference.

I explained that their attitudes when they obey their parents and authorities show their maturity in the same way a Christian’s attitude when he obeys God shows his maturity.   When we obey because we are afraid of getting in trouble, that is not true love.  When we obey because we know it is the right thing to do, it shows growth, but when we obey because we love our Heavenly Father, it shows maturity.  All the things we do out of love for our Father will be rewarded and be precious in His sight.

As young children, we obey our parents because we have to, and we don’t want to get in trouble.  Some children never grow out of this stage.  Many children grow to a point they do some of both.  They still never completely obey because they want to and out of love.  Christians never completely obey either.  But the child that is pleasing to a parent is the one that strives to do what is right.  So it is with God.  If we strive to do what is right and to be in His will, our rewards will be great.

When I arrive in Heaven, I sure want to be able to lay some crowns at my Saviour’s feet.  Why do we do what we do?  We need to examine our motives and be sure what we do is because we want to do what is right and good in our Saviour’s eyes.  Let us be sure our good works will not be burned by fire.  Heaven is a wonderful place full of love and joy.  Let us do our best for the Master while we are here on Earth.

Mrs. Worthington has five children and twelve grandchildren.  She serves as Principal of Pathway Christian Academy in Goldsboro.