“The two primary reasons why you were left on earth is to win souls for the Lord and to determine where you will be in heaven” (Justice Kojo Bentil).
Since people die every day, going to either heaven or hell, God has given every Christian a purpose to be a light for Jesus. For this reason, and since He wants to reward us in heaven for how we live our lives while on Earth, we Christians should set our minds daily on heavenly priorities rather than on fleeting earthly treasures.
“As human beings, we have a terminal disease called mortality. The current death rate is 100 percent” (Randy Alcorn).
Unless taken up by the Rapture, every human born in this world will eventually die. Regardless, every person who lives on this planet will ultimately either go to heaven or hell in the afterlife.
“We don’t like to think about death; yet, worldwide, 3 people die every second, 180 every minute, and nearly 11,000 every hour. If the Bible is right about what happens to us after death, it means that more than 250,000 people every day go either to Heaven or Hell” (Randy Alcorn).
The fact that so many unbelievers are headed to hell should awaken Christian hearts, making them realize that living on earth shouldn’t be a life of being in “cruise control”: enjoying earthly pleasures while neglecting spiritual responsibilities, living self-centeredly each day, as they await their future life in heaven. Instead, the Christian life should be one of purpose, hard work, and service to God.
“You are not saved for the sole purpose of going to heaven; you are saved to finish your assignment on earth” (Dr. Myles Munroe).
Christians have a responsibility to be a light for Jesus, to share the gospel of Christ through their purpose, to shine light on those in darkness, so those in darkness will hopefully see their evil ways and turn away from the dark, toward the light. We must daily surrender to our purpose: so, the lost can hopefully get saved through faith into a relationship with Christ, so they can avoid hell and instead someday experience heaven. Such a Christian who attempts to be a light for Jesus is choosing to “love their neighbor as themselves”, trying to be used by God to “rescue their neighbor from the dangers of hell”.
“Is It Unloving to Speak of Hell? If you were giving some friends directions to Denver and you knew that one road led there but a second road ended at a sharp cliff around a blind corner, would you talk only about the safe road? No. You would tell them about both, especially if you knew that the road to destruction was wider and more traveled. In fact, it would be terribly unloving not to warn them about that other road” (Randy Alcorn).
Living on earth for the Christian is about winning souls and storing up treasures in heaven. According to Rick Warren, “The way you store up treasure in Heaven is by investing in getting people there.”
God’s Rewarding Of Those Who Pursue Purpose
In terms of being a light for Jesus and being rewarded by God for doing so, “Heaven is the reward of what we do in life” (Prophet Kofi Oduro). Revelation 22:12 supports this: “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.”
Why does God choose to reward us for being a light for Him?
- To show that God is fair and just in giving us what we do for His kingdom.
- To comfort and encourage suffering believers who suffer for doing His kingdom work in His name.
- To motivate holy living.
- To provide accountability to believers for receiving and or not receiving what is due to them, for their faithfulness and service to God and His kingdom.
- To highlight the grace of God in giving rewards to sinners who are now Christians.
God wants to give Christians various crowns as rewards for being faithful to God and for their service to God in His kingdom work:
- The Imperishable Crown (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) – For living a disciplined life of self-denial as we strive toward the high calling of God.
- The Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19) – For pouring ourselves into discipling, teaching, and evangelizing others.
- The Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8) – For longing for Christ’s return and keeping our lives pure until that Day.
- The Crown of Life (James 1:12) – For persevering victoriously through trials and temptation.
- The Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:2-4) – For faithfully shepherding and setting an example for those under our care.
(https://www.answerthebible.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-there-being-rewards-in-heaven/)
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
Our minds are so much set on Earth that we are unaccustomed to heavenly thinking. So we must work at it” (Randy Alcorn).
Although God has given every Christian a mission to be a light for Jesus through their purpose, and also, a reward system that rewards them for their faithfulness to God and for service to God’s kingdom work, we are all still prone to neglect our Christian duties at the expense of lost souls and storing rewards in heaven. Why do we do this?
One potential reason is that, at least for many, we fear suffering for Christ; another is that we enjoy life on earth too much, as many focus on accumulating earthly treasures rather than on kingdom responsibilities.
The Bible says it’s unwise to “store up treasures on earth”:
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21).
“Many Christians dread the thought of leaving this world. Why? Because so many have stored up their treasures on earth rather than in heaven. Each day brings us closer to death. If your treasures are on earth, that means each day brings you closer to losing your treasures” (Randy Alcorn).
Because they have an earthly focus (enjoying life on earth and storing up earthly treasures) rather than a Kingdom focus (set on things above), many Christians subsequently neglect their Kingdom duties:
When you focus on Kingdom treasures, you focus on doing Kingdom work of winning souls and being a light for Jesus through your purpose. When your primary focus is on earthly treasures rather than Kingdom treasures, you are distracted from being a light for Jesus and from storing up heavenly treasures.
The consequence of a Christian having an earthly focus rather than a Kingdom one is that unbelievers won’t hear the gospel from the Christian’s purpose, and will still head to hell. Although the Christian may temporarily enjoy earthly pleasures, once their life ends, those earthly treasures will be gone, and because the Christian failed to live a faithful life to God in this present life, they will presumably lose many potential rewards on judgment day.
Quotes To Slowly Meditate Upon
“Christianity is the most cleanest, holiest thing there is this side of heaven. But its representatives is what’s breaking it up” (William Marrion Branham).
“For too long, too many followers of Christ have lived beneath their kingdom inheritance. They are saved and set-up for eternity in heaven, yet they continue to live defeated and unfulfilling lives on earth” (Myles Munroe).
“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1) This is a direct command to set our hearts on Heaven. And to make sure we don’t miss the importance of a heaven-centered life, the next verse says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” God commands us to set our hearts and minds on Heaven” (Randy Alcorn).
“The people who do not think about heaven always think about worldly properties” (William F. Kumuyi).
“Let heaven fill your thoughts instead. Because when you do, everything on earth gets placed in its proper perspective” (Greg Laurie).
“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
“All your life an unattainable ecstasy has hovered just beyond the grasp of your consciousness. The day is coming when you will wake to find, beyond all hope, that you have attained it, or else, that it was within your reach and you have lost it forever” (Randy Alcorn).
“In heaven I’ll wish with all my heart that I could reclaim a thousandth part of the time I’ve let slip through my fingers, that I could call back those countless conversations which could have glorified my Lord—but didn’t” (Billy Graham).
“Heaven doesn’t make this life less important; it makes it more important” (Billy Graham).
“My home is in heaven. I’m just passing through this world” (Billy Graham).
“Because thou has chosen the narrow path, the harder way, thou has walked of your own choosing, thou has picked the correct and precise decision, and it is My Way. Because of this momentous decision, a huge portion of Heaven awaits thee” (William Marrion Branham).
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).
“He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he’s moving daily toward his treasures. To him, death is gain. He who spends his life moving toward his treasures has reason to rejoice. Are you despairing or rejoicing?” (Randy Alcorn).
“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind” (C. S. Lewis).
“I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years” (Martin Luther).
“Earth is only a pale version of heaven, not the other way around” (Greg Laurie).
“Those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it” (D. A. Carson).
Articles In This Series:
No Finer Place Than Heaven, No Grimmer Place Than Hell
Hell: Eternal Punishment, A Place to Definitely Avoid
The Cross-Bearer’s Potential Rewards
Living As A Conqueror Through Christ
Sources:
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/beautiful-heaven-quotes-to-excite-you.html