“. . . the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.” (Colossians 1:5-6)
Why did you become a Christian? You could get the idea from listening to some of us “defend our faith” that we weighed all the various options and chose Christianity based on our careful study of the reliability of the Bible.
Not me. I became a Christian because I wanted to go to heaven. As a kid, that was the part that mattered to me. It was the whole point! In this passage, Paul writes “going to heaven is the whole point!”
No more sickness, sadness, or selfishness! No more emptiness or “inner groaning,” as Paul described life on this fallen rock. The hope of heaven turns Christians into people full of faith in Jesus and love for each other. That hope changes everything — including you and me.
Think: When you became a Christian, were you excited about going to heaven? Are you now? How have you been changed by knowing that you’ll spend forever in heaven with God?
Pray: Ask God to help you to never be so satisfied with this life that you stop hoping for heaven.
Do: Read Romans 8:18-25.