Heaven: The Requirement

Heaven is real, and it is the place God has prepared where those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will one day enjoy perfect fellowship with Him for all eternity. As God’s son, or God’s daughter, we will have an intimate and satisfying relationship with God in this heavenly home that is beyond our ability to fully comprehend or imagine.

Why is it, then, that not everyone will experience Heaven? Simply put, it is because not everyone has a ticket to Heaven. We know that tickets are important. Just as you need a ticket to ride on an airplane or to attend a game or a concert, you need a ticket to enter Heaven as well.

Salvation is the free gift made possible by the sacrificial death of God’s Son Jesus Christ. We don’t deserve it, and we can’t earn it. To become a Christian means that you have received that free gift and know that you have invited Jesus Christ into your life. In other words, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation, and the only way to secure a ticket to Heaven.

Imagine for a moment that God asked you, “Why should I let you into Heaven? Do you have a ticket?”

While there are a variety of responses people have made to that question, there is only one correct answer. We will never be good enough, or do enough good works, or give enough money, to secure a ticket to Heaven on our own. To become a child of God there must be conviction of sin, which the Holy Spirit does as He shows us how far short our lives are of God’s perfect standard. Next there is confession of sin in which we acknowledge that our lives are out of step and fall short of God’s will for us. Then there is genuine repentance, in which we do an about-face and turn from all known sin. Only then are we ready to receive the gift of salvation that comes from placing our faith in Jesus – and Jesus alone.

As believers in Jesus Christ, each day of our lives can be spent in eager anticipation of the reality of Heaven. If you have not received God’s gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus, do so today. Your ticket to Heaven is waiting.

Reflection questions:

• Are you confident that you have a ticket to Heaven?
• When Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, it was His way of stamping our ticket “PAID IN FULL.” Have you thanked Him for making eternity in Heaven available to you?