A Place Called Heaven DevotionalSample

Our Inevitable Journey to a New Destination

Why should we study what the Bible teaches about heaven? One reason is that if we know we belong to Jesus, our journey to heaven is both certain and relatively soon. The Bible talks about the inevitability of our journey to this new destination called heaven. The writer of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, said it this way: “Man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them” (Ecclesiastes 9:12). 

The fact that life on earth is very brief motivates us to use our time wisely. In Psalm 90:12, Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” Our departure from this life is certain, and it is soon.

Another reason we should spend time thinking about heaven is because the choices we make in this life drastically impact the next life God has prepared for us. The more we think about the next life, the more effective we become for God in this life.

I have experienced this personally. Three times, I have been serving in a church when God called me to serve in another church. Each time that happened, there was a period after the new church called me during which I had to go back to my old church and finish my work there. Ironically, that was usually my most productive time in that church. I was highly motivated to finish my work because I wanted things to be in good shape when I left. Not only that, I had a certain freedom. I could make the decisions I felt were best without worrying, because I was already going someplace else.

That is a good metaphor for what our lives ought to be like here on earth. The fact is, we are all leaving here. Our departure is certain. It will not be long until we go to that place called heaven.

How often do you think about heaven? What can you do today to allow the certainty of the next life to influence your effectiveness for God in this life?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to number my days and realize that, in light of eternity, my time on earth is short. Help me spend every day that You give me in this life in a way that honors You.