Each year my family and I try to take a vacation someplace nice. Several months before we leave we find a flight, book a hotel, reserve a car and make plans for what we want to do. We like to check out the sightseeing options and the events scheduled during our trip. Then all of that information is put aside until a few days before we get ready to leave. This reminds me of how a lot of people treat their eternity. They make sure they have their reservation in Heaven and then set aside all of the details until a few days before they are ready to leave. With each passing generation people plan less for their future. Our grandparents had great retirement programs and sang song about the day they would go to Heaven. Today’s families seem happy to just get through the week. The mottos of today’s culture include “live for the moment,” and “you only live once.” Jesus told people that if we lived and believed in Him, we would never die. People who embrace Christ as their Savior will live for eternity with God in Heaven. For some reason churches don’t talk much about Heaven. It is this lack of understanding that causes people to seize the day with no hope of tomorrow. Lord knows our world lacks hope. Heaven is a real place. It is a place that Jesus said He went to prepare for us. Heaven was not designed for God, but God designed it for us. Heaven far surpasses anything you have experienced here on the Earth. It is more beautiful than anything you have seen. It is more joyful and peaceful than anything you have experienced. It is more awesome than anything you can comprehend. Paul said that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which is far better. Notice that Paul did not focus on the majesty of Heaven, but he focused on being present with the Lord. This should be our motive for eternal life: to enjoy the presence of God.
If we are not careful, we can get so caught up with our destination that we miss the importance of the journey. As a teenager I took a trip with my family to California many years ago. We flew into Los Angeles and then drove up to the mountains of Yosemite. They were absolutely beautiful. After visiting San Francisco we worked our way south back toward Los Angeles. This time, instead of driving the fastest route on the inland expressway, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway stopping in small towns and enjoying the sights along the way. The scenery was something I will treasure my whole life. On the way up to Yosemite we were in a hurry and missed a lot of beautiful I find that a lot of Christians set their sights on their eternal destination and miss the importance of the journey. They are glad to escape Hell and long for the splendor of Heaven, but Christ is the journey. Paul said, “for me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” Living for God means that we are not living for this life, but for the life to come. We are storing up treasure in Heaven through our life on the Earth. The treasure at our destination is acquired through the journey. Don’t just focus on the destination, spend your whole life planning the trip.