Eternity in Heaven -- Are You Prepared for Christ's Second Coming?

This week I am going to speak about Assurance Number Nine regarding our promised Eternity in Heaven. Last week, I introduced you to what I call Assurance Number Eight about God’s promise of rewards when we get to Eternity in Heaven. We discovered that it is within Assurance Eight where Christ tells us that we will indeed receive rewards and leadership positions in Eternity in Heaven for what we do here on earth to live for Christ and to tell others about the Good News of Salvation. However, Assurance Number Nine is closely related to Assurance Eight, because it is within Assurance Number Nine that we learn that our rewards are directly related to our being prepared for Christ's Second Coming. Christ, Himself, encourages us to be prepared for Eternity by being prepared for His second coming. 

Again, I have broken this blog into sections so that you don't have to read the entire week's blog in one setting. I encourage you to take your time and digest or think upon what you are reading, for it is without a doubt one of the most important blogs I have written. It's important because in Assurance Nine Christ promises and assures us that He will indeed come again to take all believers home to Eternity in Heaven. Are you ready for Eternity in Heaven?

Part of our preparation for Christ’s return to take us home to Eternity in Heaven is to live our lives for Him and to share the Gospel message. For, it is through our preparation as we wait for Christ’s return that we can be ensured of receiving certain rewards and leadership positions in Eternity in Heaven. Moreover, it is within Assurance Number Nine that we finally begin to understand just how important it is for us to live our lives for Christ while we are here on earth. In other words, our future rewards and positions in Eternity in Heaven are dependent on what we do as we live our lives here on earth.

We all must be prepared for Christ’s return. Then when Christ comes with all His angels He will take us to our home in Heaven. God has assured us that when He is ready, He will send Christ back to earth to get all His “born-again” children. In the meantime, all our future rewards and leadership positions in Heaven will depend on what we do for the Lord while we live here as aliens in a strange land.

Being prepared for Eternity in Heaven

“And, then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the Heavens and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together His chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” – (Matthew 24: 30, 31. NLT).

“… no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in Heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows.

When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” – (Matthew 24: 36-42. NLT).

Jesus Christ not only assured His disciples of Eternity, but as you can see in the above verses He also warned the disciples and all His followers that they needed to be prepared for His second coming. Indeed, it will be at the second coming of Christ that those who are “Saved” will finally enter into Eternity with Christ. However, while teaching and sharing with people about Eternity, Christ also explained about the importance of obedience in preparation for Christ’s second coming. For, in order to receive Heavenly rewards and leadership positions, Christians must live for Christ. In other words, obedience and faithfulness will play an important part in receiving our rewards and leadership positions when Christ comes again. Now, let’s take a closer look at the assurances that Christ has given to us about His Second Coming as well as His assurances about some of the rewards that Christians can receive.

Being Prepared for Christ’s Second Coming and for Eternity

Throughout the Bible we are told of Eternity in Heaven. Furthermore, the Biblical Scriptures assure us that Christ will come again to take Christians home to Eternity. Part of that assurance about Eternity is found in Christ’s own words about His second coming. However, within that assurance we are also given the admonition to be prepared for Christ’s second coming. For, Christ said to His disciples, “You too, be ready: for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” – (Luke 12: 40. NASV). Later, the Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians that “… the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.” – (I Thessalonians 5: 2. NLT). What will you be doing when Christ returns? More importantly, will you have truly believed Christ’s words about His second coming, or will you have just fiddled your life away doing whatever felt good? I know that I want to live daily for Christ and to receive those offered rewards given for a life well-lived when Christ comes to take us home into Eternity with Him.

To receive our Heavenly rewards, though, we must be prepared for Christ’s second coming. Preparing for His second coming means that we not only have given our lives over to Christ in repentance and belief in Him as the resurrected Son of God (that, of course, is the first and most important step), but that we are also now living for Him and our Heavenly Father on a daily basis. In other words, we are to live our lives in daily obedience to God and Christ by being humble servants and by loving others as ourselves. This means, too, that we are to “step out” or step forward to actively mentor others and to actively develop relationships that can benefit and strengthen other people. Most importantly, though, as Christians we should actively develop relationships that may lead a lost person to Christ. Furthermore, we must always look at what we are doing in the light of Christ’s second coming so that we can honor Him and show Christ that we are indeed worthy of His trust in us. Furthermore, we must evaluate our lives daily in order to be prepared for Christ’s second coming and to be worthy to receive God’s rewards.

Jesus Christ spoke about being prepared for His second coming in different ways; each talk, though, was dependent upon the occasion and the crowds that were following Him. One particular time, in order to emphasize the importance of being prepared for His second coming, Jesus used another analogy in His talk to help the people understand. He likened our being prepared for His second coming to that of being prepared for a wedding feast. Remember, the weddings in ancient times were very important occasions, and the wedding was ensconced within many traditions which were to be followed; such as the bridegroom giving the guests clothes to wear to the feast. Being aware of these traditions Jesus again used an analogy relating to weddings to emphasize the importance of being prepared. He said,

“Be dressed and well prepared, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. There will be a special favor for those who are ready and waiting for His return. I tell you that He himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever He comes, there will be special favor for His servants who are ready!” – (Luke 12: 35- 38. NLT).

Notice that within those verses Christ spoke of a special favor that will be given to those who are prepared and ready for Christ’s return. We may not know exactly what that favor will be or how we will be shown special favor, but we know that Christ thinks that we will like and appreciate the favor. The most important part of this message, though, is not what we will receive for doing what we are supposed to do, rather the most important part of the message is that we need to be prepared for Christ’s return.

Waiting for Christ’s Return

Although Christ told His followers and disciples that He would someday leave them, Christ’s followers and disciples did not want Christ to leave. They also did not understand that Christ would have to die for their sins in order for them to be able to enter into Eternity in Heaven with God. But it was with this wedding analogy, along with the other parables and stories that He told, that Jesus emphasized to His disciples and His followers that He would have to leave them for a little while. However, Christ also reassured them that He would someday return for them.

But after several years of waiting for Christ to return, some Christians were getting frustrated. Why was it taking so long for Christ to come again and take them home to Heaven? Then, for those who could not understand why it was taking Christ so long to return to take them home to Eternity in Heaven, the Apostle Peter gave them the answer. Peter said, “But you must not forget dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise to return, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so He is giving more time for everyone to repent.”  -- (II Peter 3: 8, 9. NLT).

The reason that we don’t know when Christ will return is that God wants as many people as possible to have a chance to enter the Kingdom of God willingly. Only God will determine when everyone has had a chance to repent and believe on His Son. But, if we all knew the day and hour of Christ’s return, many people would decide to live anyway they wanted to live up until the last moment, and then at the last moment they would ask for God’s forgiveness. However, that is not what Salvation is all about. Rather, Salvation comes when we know and trust that Christ died for our sins and when we know and trust that we can be cleansed from our sins if we will not only repent of them, but if we also willingly turn from evil and sin to ask for forgiveness while believing in the risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God is waiting to send Christ back to get us, because He wants everyone to have the opportunity to willingly come to Christ for Salvation.

Salvation means that we each want to live for and worship God. We want to live our lives in love; love for God and love for others. God wants us to love Him and His Son by living our lives daily for Him here on earth; always representing His goodness and love toward others on a daily basis. We couldn’t say that we have lived for the Lord, if we waited until the last moment to turn to Christ. Yes, God will accept anyone before they take their last breath, i.e. anyone who comes to believe in His Son and asks for His forgiveness and asks for Christ to come into their heart. But coming to Christ just before your last breath, i.e. if you know when your last breath is coming, doesn’t give you a chance to live for Christ. Remember, our lives are to be lived in Christian love and in helping others come to know Christ as their Savior too. Of course, God will joyfully and lovingly accept anyone at any time before they die, but those people will not have been able to prepare for Christ’s second coming the way that those who live for Him daily can do. Those who wait until the last minute will not have the opportunity to earn rewards and leadership positions in Eternity in Heaven before they die.

Christ and the apostles have told us in the Biblical Scriptures that we will receive rewards for living for Christ and for shining His light onto others while we are here on this earth. As “born-again” Christians we are to be the light of Christ shining in a dark world that points others to Christ. We are to live with hope and trust in the fact that Christ is preparing a home for us, and we are to live with the trust that He will return again just as He has assured us that He will. Then while we are waiting for Christ’s return, we are to tell others about the Kingdom of God and the gift of Salvation. Only God knows when everyone will have been told about Christ. Only God knows when everyone who will believe will have come to know Christ personally. Do you know Christ personally? I hope so! If you have a personal relationship with Christ are you living for Him, and are you sharing the Good News with others?

While we are waiting for Christ to come again, we are to each be responsible for preparing for Christ’s return. We wouldn’t not prepare for the coming birth of a baby, not prepare for a house move that we needed to make, or not prepare for the wedding that we planned to have. Likewise, we should prepare for the return of Christ to take us home to Eternity in Heaven. The planning that we do today will benefit us and others and will last throughout Eternity.

 How, though, do we plan for Eternity? Well, one of the ways that we prepare for Eternity with Christ and His Father is to study the Word of God. Next, we are to live by God’s commandments and to be obedient to His laws and directions. Then, we are to tell other people about Christ, because we have all been given the Great Commission to do so. Furthermore, we must be willing to stand up for Christ even if we find ourselves being persecuted. Certainly, throughout our lives we must try to live by God’s morals, values, ethics and His ultimate Truth, and we must be prepared to share those with others as well.  We are to make sure that our children are prepared as believing, faithful, and truthful children of God. Finally, we are to “happily” be servants of the One and Only God. Only then will be prepared for Christ’s return and for Eternity in Heaven, which He has prepared for us.

Preparing for Rewards and Leadership Positions in Heaven

Christ assured His disciples and followers as well as us today that when He returns to take us home to Eternity in Heaven there will be rewards and leadership positions for those who have done their jobs well. In fact, Jesus assured the disciples and us with the explanation that He gave to them about a master who left his servant in charge of his home and business while he was gone. Again, Jesus used an analogy to emphasize the similarity to what we will experience when Jesus returns to take us home to Eternity in Heaven. Jesus said:

“If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I assure you, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for awhile,’ and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk – well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected. He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the unfaithful. The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it. But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly.  Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.” – (Luke 12: 43-48. NLT).

With these words Christ assures us that we will be rewarded for what we have done for the Kingdom of God while here on earth. Although we can experience blessings and rewards here on earth for the things that we do, there are much greater rewards and blessing to come in Eternity with Christ. Unfortunately, there are people who think that they have all the time in the world to play and have a good time, because they think Christ won’t be back for a while, or because they just procrastinate or put off doing today what they know they should do. Sadly, still others will never come to know Christ as their Savior, because they refuse to believe or listen to the Truth. But, as Christians, it is our job to tell all people about Christ and Eternity. That is why we need to mentor other people and share the Gospel message as often as we can. For, you will be rewarded for the work that you have done here on earth for the Kingdom of God, and you will be given a leadership position in the New Jerusalem of Eternity if you deserve it.  But, Christ said that “Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.” So, to be assured of our rewards and perhaps a leadership position we need to truly live for and work for the Kingdom of God.

Whatever the position or rewards that we will be given in Eternity will not be based upon what type of positions or rewards that people normally receive here on earth. Rather, the one who receives a special position or reward in Heaven with Christ may be the one that you would have least expected to receive that reward or position. For, rewards and positions in Heaven will be based upon our love of others, our obedience and our humility and not upon how great we have become while here on earth. In fact, Christ told His disciples that “Anyone who wants to be the first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”  -- (Mark 9: 35. NLT). In other words, the attitude we find here on earth of greed and pride has no place within the Kingdom of God and Eternity in Heaven. Instead, Christ assures us that we are not to strive for position and prestige, but rather are to strive for servanthood and humility which will lead to Heavenly positions and rewards.

Just as Christ determined that the disciples would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, He will determine what reward and what position each Christian will receive. All jobs including administration and leadership type jobs will depend upon our abilities, obedience and our faithfulness while here on this earth. Faithfulness and obedience is shown in all different ways, and we each have different abilities in this life. However, no matter what our abilities are, we should all be shining the light of Christ out into the world with everything that we do. We should constantly acknowledge Christ with our life. Living for Christ daily will determine our rewards and positions in Eternity in Heaven.

Rewards or Crowns listed in the Bible

The Biblical Scriptures tell us of some of the rewards that Christians can receive in Eternity in Heaven. In some verses they call these rewards “crowns”. Actually there are six or seven crowns or rewards that are specifically listed in the Bible. I’m, sure that there will be others as well, but they are just not specifically listed. I will not go into a great detail here about those that are listed in the Scriptures and instead will save the details for another day, however, I did want to give you an idea of what some of them are.

James, the brother of Jesus Christ, wrote that we can receive the Victor’s Crown of Life. This reward/ crown is given to the Christian “… who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive the victor’s crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.” – (James 1: 12. Amplified Bible). The Victor’s Crown of Life is given to the believer who finds the strength to overcome temptations and to endure the trials of life that are thrown at him/her from this fallen world. It is through our endurance that we mature and develop godly character traits that represent Christ to the rest of the world. These character traits produce our joyful and confident hope in our Salvation.

A similar reward or crown will also be given to those who have faced the tribulation times of the last days and who have come through the end times devoted to Christ. Jesus said in the book of Revelation that if those who live during the last days are faithful that they would receive The Crown of Life, too. For Christ said, “Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the Crown of Life.” -- (Revelation 2: 10. Amplified Bible).

Another crown or reward that we can receive is called The Crown of Victory. It is also sometimes called The Crown of Exultation. (See Philippians 4: 1 and I Thessalonians 2: 19-20.). This is the crown that Christians will receive for sharing the Gospel message and for doing work or service for the Lord. But the greatest work and also the greatest privilege in serving the Lord is to share the Gospel message with those who have yet to come to know Christ as their Savior. We can receive the Crown of Victory when someone with whom we have shared the Gospel message accepts Christ as their Savior.

The Victor’s Crown of Righteousness is a reward/ crown given for being right with God and for doing that which is right. II Timothy 4: 8 says, “[As to what remains] henceforth there is laid up for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness (for being right with God and doing right), which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me and recompense me on that [great] day – and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and yearned for and welcomed His appearing (His return).” – (Amplified Bible). The Victor’s Crown of Righteousness is a reward to be earned by the “Saved.” For, if a believer looks for and longs for the Second Coming of Christ, it will affect his/her whole life. Then the believer will put on the full armor of God to fight the spiritual battles encountered here on earth and will try to live daily for Christ.

There is a special reward/ crown for the obedient pastors, elders and shepherds called The Conqueror’s Crown of Glory. The Apostle Peter tells us that this reward or crown will be revealed when the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, returns. Peter told the Christian leaders to “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. … And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” – (I Peter 5: 2, 4. NIV).

The Crown of Eternal Blessedness is a reward/ crown given to Christians for running the race of life for Christ and for living for Him each and every day. The Apostle Paul told us about this crown through his analogy of an athlete running a race. He said, “Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things.  They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness that cannot wither.” – (I Corinthians 9: 25. Amplified Bible). The “it” that Paul is referring to is our lives lived for Christ. We are to live godly lives in a highly ungodly world. We are to conduct ourselves in such a manner that the rest of the world can see that we are different, and people can see that we are living for Christ. Are you living for Christ?  Will you receive The Crown of Eternal Blessedness in Eternity in Heaven?

The Crown of the Wise is a reward/ crown given to those who have more than just confident trust in Christ. The Scripture says that “The Crown of the wise is their wealth of Wisdom, but the foolishness of [self-confident] fools is [nothing but] folly.” – (Proverbs 14: 24). The Crown of the Wise is a reward given to those who have the wisdom to face life without fear, because they know that God is their God and that He takes care of His children. To have this type of godly wisdom means that you have treasured the Word of God and that you have tried to wisely live by God’s Words. Throughout the entire book of Proverbs and in other parts of the Bible, God has often told us to prize wisdom. For, “She [wisdom] is the tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy (blessed, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who holds her fast.”  -- (Proverbs 3: 18. Amplified). We will talk more about this reward/ crown later, but for now just realize that searching for and obtaining wisdom is both important in this life and for Eternity to come.

Preparing for Christ means that we let our Christ-light shine

You may have noticed that all of the rewards or crowns that are listed come from our actions here on earth. We are to share the Gospel message. We are to help others. We are to love each other with a love that can only be found when we give our hearts to Christ. Moreover, we can only receive rewards and crowns when we let our Christ-light shine out upon the world. Are you letting your Christ-light shine?

We cannot hide our light under a basket or not tell others about Christ. Certainly, the devil does not want Christians to stand up for Christ or to stand for what Christ stands for, nor does the devil want us to do what is morally and ethically right in God’s sight. The devil does not want us to acknowledge Christ as the Son of God, and he does not want us to publically live for Christ. So, the devil puts up obstacles at every turn, and when one doesn’t work, he will try another. Most recently, Satan, i.e. the devil, is simply having Christians killed by those who hate Christians and Jews, i.e. ISIS and other Muslims who believe in the hate that Mohammed encouraged. But no matter how difficult and dangerous it is to do so, Christians are to stand up for Christ. In fact, Christ tells us:

“If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before My Father in Heaven. But if anyone denies Me here on earth, I will deny that person before My Father in Heaven.” – (Matthew 10: 32, 33. NLT). I don’t know about you, but I want Christ to introduce me to God as a servant who has tried to live for Christ. I want Christ to be able to tell God that I have spent my life trying to honor and to serve Him in every way while I was here on earth. I want Him to be able to say that I did not hide my Christ-light under a basket.

For many non-Christians one of the hardest Scriptures to understand is the one where Christ tells us that “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for Me, you will find it.”  -- (Matthew 10: 39. NLT).  What Jesus was saying is that life and all its true joy and happiness is found in Jesus Christ. But, many people do not realize this. They do not realize that the more we love this world and the life we have lived in this world that comes with popularity, power, entertainment, money, etc., the more we abandon our eternal life with God. For, the only way to true happiness is to focus on living for Christ. Yes, we can be blessed with many of this world’s comforts and finer things, but ultimately all of these things will pass away and turn to dust. The only thing that remains forever is the love that we have for God and other people. Our love for God and others along with our Salvation will enable us to reap true eternal rewards in our Eternity in Heaven. By following Christ and doing for Him and others we will find true life, and we will receive eternal life and happiness with Christ.

Christ told us to set our sights on Heaven and not on this world. For it is in Heaven that Christ sits at the right hand of His Father. It is in the Eternity of Heaven where Christ is now preparing our home, and He has told us that He will come back to take all “born-again” Christians home to Eternity with Him. Christ said, “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be where I am. … Those who obey My commandments are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal Myself to each one of them.” – (John 14: 3, 4, 21. NLT). By loving God and Christ, His Son, and then in loving others as we love ourselves, we are setting our sights on Heaven, and we are preparing for Eternity in Heaven.

We need to understand that this world is just our temporary home. For, our true home is in Heaven with Christ. Not everyone, though, will get to move on to their permanent home in Heaven. In fact, those who do not believe on Christ as the living Son of God will go to a place that is millions of times worse than this temporary home here on earth. They will go to Eternity in Hell. Whether people have previously died or they are alive when Christ returns, only those who have believed on the risen Christ as their Lord and Savior will go to Eternity in Heaven. Certainly, just as night turns into day, Jesus Christ will return. He will come again, and this time He will come to get us so that we can be with Him and His Father forever. Are your sights set on Eternity in Heaven and the rewards that you can receive for obedience to God? If not, I pray that you turn to Christ and ask Him to come into your heart. I pray that you truly understand that you are just living in a temporary world that is only a shadow of the glorious beauty and love that we will see and experience in Eternity in Heaven.

Seeing Christ’s Return

Today everyone on earth will at the same time know when Christ returns, and nobody will have to be told that He has returned. In fact, Jesus told us that throughout the years while we wait on His return that there would be many false prophets predicting His return, and there certainly have been many false prophets. But we should never believe these false prophets and their predictions, for Christ also told us that no one will know when He will return. For, only Father God knows when He will send His Son back to gather up His children for Eternity. (See Mark 13: 32). However, when Christ returns everyone will know it instantly. For, Jesus said, “Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with great power and glory. And He will send forth His angels to gather together His chosen ones from all over the world – from the farthest ends of the earth and Heaven.”  -- (Mark 13: 26, 27. NLT).

It has taken centuries to come to the point where technology today can show us what is happening on the other side of the earth at the very same time that it is occurring there. Today technology has made it possible for everyone to be able to see Christ’s return the moment it happens! However, long before all the technology that we have available today, I never doubted that Christ could be seen simultaneously around the world, because God and can do anything. But now those who questioned how this could happen have an answer, because Christ’s second coming can be simultaneously broadcast around the world via satellite, television, iphones and other electronic devices. Everyone will see Christ’s return at the same moment in time.

There is a bigger question, though, than how everyone will know when Christ returns. That question is: are you ready for Christ’s return?  If you will read the Word of God, you will discover that there are so many things that are happening in our world today that were predicted thousands of years ago by God’s prophets. All of these prophecies have or are now coming true; all leading up to the return of Christ and to your Eternity in Heaven or in Hell. Do you know where you will go if you were to die this moment? Do you know Christ as your Lord and Savior? That is the most important question you will ever have to answer. For that question and your answer will determine whether or not you will get to spend Eternity in Heaven with Christ. If you do not know Christ as your Savior you can do so. Just take a few moments to reflect upon Christ’s words about Eternity and to reflect on His words about how to get to there. There is only one way to spend Eternity with God in Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ the risen Son and Lord.

Being prepared for Christ’s second coming is simple. You can start your life in Eternity right now by believing on Christ as the risen Son of God who died for your sins and who is alive and preparing a home for you in Heaven. Then start to live for Him with all your heart. Share Christ with others. Mentor others who need help or need your expertise or knowledge to help them in life. Find ways to show your love of others and to show Christ to the world. Be the light of Christ for the world around you by sharing the Gospel message and by obeying the Word of God in all that you do. In doing those and other Christ-loving things you are preparing for Christ’s second coming.

Christ has assured all of us of not only a home in Eternity, but He has assured us of rewards we can receive for faithfulness and servanthood. Those rewards/ crowns can come with positions of leadership in the Kingdom of God as well. And if you know someone who does not know Christ, please step forward to share the Gospel message and then mentor them for the Lord. But whatever service that you perform for the Lord and others, it is only by showing and living your Christian love that you can be prepared for Christ’s return and for your home in Eternity.

Billy Graham said: “Heaven doesn’t make this life less important: it makes it more important.”  -- (Billy Graham in Quotes, c. 2011. p. 74.).

Heaven is just as important today as it will be when you get there. It is important today, because it should be your focus in life. It should be what motivates you to share the Gospel message with others. Heaven is not an elite club. It is a place for all who will believe on Jesus Christ as the risen Son of God who died for their sins. Who else would die for you? What great love it took to take on the awful pain of that cruel cross. But that great love awaits anyone who will repent of their sins and ask Christ to forgive them and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Have you asked Christ to come into your heart?

Are you sharing Christ with others?  Are you helping those who need your expertise? Have you been preparing for Christ’s return by working for and serving Him in everything you do? If you haven’t been living for Christ, take a few minutes to ask God what you can do.  God will tell you!  Just remember: You can do it! God always prepares us for what He asks us to do. He will never ask you to do something that you can’t do. You can share Christ with others even when you think that you can’t. You can also actively mentor others for the Lord as you live for Christ! You can prepare yourself for Christ’s second coming by sharing Christ with others. Indeed, you can have a glorious home in Eternity in Heaven.

God Bless You!