June 12, 2024 Devo

I had a man, who was new to our church some years ago, try to impress me with his knowledge of the Bible. It was funny for a couple of reasons, the most obvious of which was that he didn’t know nearly as much as he thought he did. As we talked about Scripture, I talked to him about the importance of putting Scripture into daily practice. He suddenly got really uncomfortable and said, “Pastor, are you into prophecy? I just love talking about prophecy and the end times!” I just smiled and said, “No, I’m not. Honestly, I’m so overwhelmed helping people through the nasty here and now, I don’t have time to worry about the ‘sweet by and by.’”
It’s not that I don’t believe that Jesus is coming again. I’m sure He is. I just don’t believe that we understand as much about the when and how as we think we do. And I think it’s a bit of a boondoggle to fixate on something that will actually take care of itself. I feel the same way about heaven. I get asked all the time by people about what heaven will be like. Truthfully, I have no idea. I am of earth. How could I possibly understand something as glorious and fourth-dimensional as heaven? That’s what Jesus tells Nicodemus. “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.”
When I read this verse today, it hit me. Jesus didn’t come down to earth to give us a puzzle to solve about when the end of time will be. Neither did He come to try to explain to us what heaven would be like. What He DID come down to do was to tell us how we can be prepared for the end of time and the kind of lives we need to live until that end time comes. He also came to show us what God was like and to let us know that HE Himself would be there in heaven waiting for us. Pearly gates, streets of gold, harp-playing angels…will it really matter? JESUS will be there! It reminded me of that old song. “Jesus will be what makes heaven for me.” Somehow, I think Jesus will be enough. That’s God’s Word for you today.