The destiny of all who have received Christ as Savior is heaven. What a wonderful thought. Heaven is a place where suffering ends, where the light of God shines and where there are no shadows of darkness. Heaven awaits us, heaven is where we will finally feel satisfied, where we will truly find rest. Abraham knew heaven was his destiny. God spoke to him of a promised land, but he looked beyond this natural land to a land where time ceased, the ultimate fulfillment of the promises of God for his life.
Hebrews 11:9-10 tells us that Abraham “By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Later in this Chapter the Bible tells us that “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)
Abraham was the Father of our faith and his faith was inspired by the fact that he was looking to a heavenly City, a heavenly country, he was yearning for heaven. The saints listed in Hebrews 11, all lived with the hope of eternity in heaven. They lived with the knowledge that this life was imperfect but that when they stepped into eternity the perfect life begins.
I remember as a child my father passed, he was he was still a young man, it was very tragic for us. God spoke to my mother and said “his life has just begun.” God’s encouragement to our family was that this life is a precursor to the real life. A life of heavenly bliss. I believe we are called to bring heaven to earth, and to live our lives in the Presence and blessing of God, but ultimately our lives will truly begin when we begin to walk on the golden streets of heaven.
As an Evangelist I’m driven by the fact that heaven is my home, it is my destiny and I want that destiny to be presented to as many people as possible. Everyone deserves a chance to hear the Gospel. Everyone deserves the chance to enter heaven. Life can be so incredibly challenging. Today I want encourage you with the thought that this world is not your home, heaven is your destiny. Like Abraham, keep your eyes fixed on the hope of a better country, a heavenly one, keep your eyes fixed on a City whose builder and maker is God.
