Nobody Wants To Go Now
Kenny Chesney’s most recent country hit is entitled, “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven.” The tune is very catchy, and Mr. Chesney is a very popular and widely acclaimed musician. The premise of the song is that all want to spend eternity in heaven, but that no one wants to go right now. Live it up; enjoy the moment; sow your wild oats. He speaks of casting an extra twenty in the collection plate to cover his sins from the previous night, and the other twenty is to get him through today. The ideas expressed in the song indicate that heaven is a nice thought, but for now he is having too much fun to worry about matters eternal. Sadly, these thoughts seem so very perva-sive in our society. So many are focused on the here and now and give little to no thought to what lies beyond this mortal coil. Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now? If such is the sentiment of society in general, then there are a few things that we must impress upon our hearts and minds regarding the realm of eternal day.
Realizing what heaven truly is like should make us want to go there now. Some labor under the impression that they won’t be able to do the things they enjoy most in heaven. No football or baseball in heaven? No hunting or fishing or golf in heaven? These thoughts tend to make some wonder what will be done in heaven for all eternity. Whatever is done there cannot be as much “fun” as what we enjoy here, they reason. Such is a misguided view of the hereafter. We will live forever in the presence of Him who sits upon the throne of the Universe (Isa:1-6)! We will bask in the glow of the Son who was slain for the sins of the world (Rev 5:8-9)! The faithful will dwell eternally before the eternal Spirit who gave unto us the precious Book divine (2 Pet 1:20-21)! The redeemed of all ages—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Deb-orah, David, Mary, Peter, James, John, Paul, and all the faithful who have ever lived—will be our companions throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity (Rev 14:3-4)! Heaven will be a place of no disease, no pain, no suffering, no heartache, no tears, and no death (Rev.21:4)! It will be a land of eternal security, wherein no sin and all associated with sin will be allowed to enter (Rev 21:27)! It seems understandable to me why Paul would say, “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and be with Christ; which is far better” (Phil 1:23). Sounds like Paul wanted to go to heaven, and he wanted to go “right now!”
Realizing that this old world has nothing worthwhile to offer us should cause us to want to go to heaven right now. There are many magnificent wonders to behold, and many enjoyable times to be had in this marvelous world that God has created (Psa 19:1). But we would do well to remember that this world and everything therein will not stand the test of time: it will all be destroyed in the last day (2 Pet 3:10-12). This world is not our home. We are just strangers and pilgrims, travelling through this temporal wilderness en route to our eternal home (Heb 11:13; 1 Pet.2:11). While we certainly are in the world, we are not of the world. Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20)! Sadly, many are so tied to this world that leaving it behind seems unfathomable and utterly frightening. Not so for the faithful child of God. This world holds nothing for us. Our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue (Matt 6:19-21). Our gaze is firmly fixed upon the land of fadeless day, because our hearts are already there! Yes, we want to go to heaven, and we want to go now!
–Patrick Morrison
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