Prepare Yourself for Heaven

THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION        
Dr. Jeffress says he travels for his job, but there is only one trip that will last for eternity: heaven.  He admits that Christians don’t consciously spend a lot of time thinking about heaven.  “I want to encourage people and inform people about heaven,” he says.  “This world is engulfed in political chaos and international conflict. We need assurance that there is a better place.”  He knows the overwhelming responsibilities of living in this world eclipse much thought about living in the next one, but there are reasons to focus on our final destination.  “The more we think about the next world, the more effective we become in this world,” says Dr. Jeffress. He believes there are benefits to focusing on heaven: 1) Reminds us of the brevity of our earthly life. Life is short; eternity is long.  Our time is fleeting; 2) Prepares us for judgment. The majority of humanity is on the wrong road that leads to the wrong destination.  All of us will face judgment at the end of our lives on earth; 3) Motivates us to live pure lives. A day will come when every Christian’s actions will be placed under the glare of God’s judgment; 4) Places suffering in perspective.  Christ has given us the promise of heaven that He will make all things right.

“While we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord….And prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord,” 2 Cor. 5:6, 8  Dr. Jeffress reminds us that because of sin, we must all die.  The thought of death can fill us with terror and dread.  “Knowing our destination when we depart this life can dramatically diminish that understandable fear,” he says.

Dr. Jeffress says there are common myths about heaven.  He believes our lives in heaven will be a continuation with what we have been doing on earth.  One myth is that heaven will be monotonous.  “There is nothing boring about God,” he says.  The activities in heaven will never get monotonous.  “We will no longer inhabit aging bodies that grow tired or live in a sin-infected world that makes life tedious,” says Dr. Jeffress.  Another myth is that heaven is one long worship service.  While worshipping God will be a central activity, it won’t be our only activity.  He reminds us that God created us to work and worship.  “In the new heaven and new earth all of the effects of sin will evaporate,” he says.  “In the new world, work will be nothing but exhilarating!”

THE RIGHT PASSPORT
Dr. Jeffress says in order to get into heaven, you must have the right passport.  Passports are important in getting into any country.  Once, when Dr. Jeffress was a youth pastor, he took 200 students to the Soviet Union.  On the way back, as they were all filing past customs, Dr. Jeffress couldn’t locate his passport and panicked!  He searched everywhere but the Soviet agent could have cared less.  No passport, no exit.  Then a friend of his produced the passport (he had taken it as a joke).  Relieved, Dr. Jeffress was headed back home.  He says heaven requires a passport, too, and that is through a relationship with Jesus.  He reminds us that the 1 John 5:11 says, God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  

We must live with a destination mindset.  God gives us assignments on earth to complete during our stay.  While we reside in this world, we are to guard against becoming entangled in it.  “The more seriously we take heaven, the more seriously we’ll take earth,” says Dr. Jeffress.