Looking to Heaven, Living on Earth

When you hear the word “heaven,” what comes to mind? That answer will largely dictate how we live our lives. If heaven is to be the wind in our sails, what we believe about heaven is crucial.

When a young C.S. Lewis arrived at Surrey, he said, “The scenery of Surrey was much wilder than I had expected.” His companion suddenly stopped and said, “What do you by wildness, and what grounds had you for not expecting it? Have you based your expectations on maps, photographs or books?” When C.S. Lewis sheepishly said “No,” his companion declared, “Do you not see, then, that you had no right to have any opinion whatever on the subject?”

How much so does this illustrate our view of heaven? We discuss reuniting with old friends, a continuation of present enjoyments, and other such merriment; but these conclusions are based largely on what we have experienced on earth, not what we know of heaven. Because heaven looks so much like earth in our mind, it should come as no surprise that we do not look very much like heaven in our lives. Against the old cliche saying that “you are too heavenly-minded to be any earthly good,” the Bible and history frequently display men who are the most earthly good because they are the most heavenly-minded. We must begin to let the Bible shape our view of heaven so that heaven may begin to shape us.

For the first four-weeks of January, we will operate under a very basic premise - future hope shapes present behavior. What does the Bible say of heaven? How does this affect us today? How does looking to heaven change living on earth? How does heaven affect everything from our health, our wealth, and our dearest relationships? Let us together begin the year by being heavenly-minded so that we can do some earthly good.