January 6, 2021
A girl I have been chatting with recently asked, “would you worship Jesus even if there was no heaven?”. I’ve thought about this a lot, but I have never wrote down my thoughts.
The simple answer for me is yes, because of His abundant awesomeness and goodness, which can be seen in all things, but I really wanted to take the time to deeply ponder on this expand my thoughts on this.
So, would I worship Jesus even if heaven didn’t exist? My answer is yes and this is my long answer why:
I like looking at nature — the sky, the flowers, the ocean, the birds, everything is seriously so beautiful. All of the work of His hands screams the glory of God. You see the attributes of God in the beauty of everything He has created. Even the way it all works perfectly together, it’s so intricate in detail that I can’t even fathom it. There are so many things in this world that are far too wonderful for me to know (Psalm 139:6); and far too wonderful for even the most brilliant of all scholars and scientists. His awesomeness is so abundant that its unreachable (Psalm 145:3), and to me that’s part of what makes Him so beautiful! If what He created is SO beautiful, how beautiful must He be? How good must He be, when everything He has created is abundantly fruitful? The created things which are so beautiful can only come from a VERY good God in heaven.
And furthermore, God giving us His one and only Son demonstrates even more of His goodness…His deep goodness. Scripture says, Romans 5:7-8 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone MIGHT POSSIBLY dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This scripture doesn’t demonstrates just His love, but His constant faithfulness which exemplifies His goodness!
Jesus died for a bunch of unrighteous sinners, who really aren’t worth dying for. And we only become worth it, because He makes us worth it. He is clearly SO GOOD.
I mean just think about it…the murders, the violent protesters, the liars, the drunkards, and the mean gossipers (of course the list goes on)….The perfect man — Jesus Christ — died.for.that. For a despicable sinner like me and like you.
By saying all this I’m not saying that the murders, violent protestors, liars and cheaters etc. do not need to repent of their sins and live a whole new life in Christ. Of course they do! As Romans 6: 1-2 says, do we just go and keep on sinning so grace may abound? Certainly not! We are to die to sin. But Jesus Christ — the perfect, the kindest, the most loving God has died for all us even though He knows how wicked we are. Jesus says there is grace and salvation for all who come to Him and repent!
I for one would not be willing to die for a murder, people who have lied to me or even talked behind my back. No sir. No ma’am. There is no way, there is no how! But Jesus did! His goodness is beyond understanding, it is abundant, unreachable and incomprehensible.
It’s hard watching the news and even some movies, but at the same time, all the evil in the world magnifies God’s goodness and His beauty.
When I think of all the evil in the world and all the evil in myself, I can’t help but think of Psalm 8:3-4 NASBS – When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; [4] What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
We don’t deserve for Him to speak to us today.
We don’t deserve new mercies every morning.
We don’t deserve His grace.
We don’t deserve Jesus.
But God so loved the world that He gave us all of these things anyways. (John 3:16)
We live so faithfully for God while we live here on earth, not just because He saves us from sin; not just because if we believe we will go to heaven; not just because of a self improvement program.
But because of His AMAZING goodness and because there is no.other.way.
Nor, do I want another way.
We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
When I think of all the sin I use to live in, all the drunk partying I did because I thought it was ‘fun’, all the gossiping I did with my friends (from my old life), all the lying I did to get my way, etc. ; I did sinful things to make connections with other people through gossiping and partying. I thought these things were ‘fun’, but they were truly so empty, hurtful to other people, and even hurtful to myself.
It’s not worth having friends when your only connection with them is gossiping and partying. Its not worth lying and manipulating when you know your conscious is being seared.
I no longer want anything to do with my old life because I know what I have with Jesus here on this earth, is SO MUCH BETTER — heaven or no heaven to come. Life is better with Him and doing things His Way, rather than my way; because He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6).
Scriptures
John 6:67-68 NKJV
Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” [68] But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Jeremiah 33:9 NLT
Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.
John 17:2-3 NKJV
as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
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From time to time I also often think of how beautiful and wonderful God is more than the magnificent creation He has made by His hands. If I see a lovely sunset or the stars and the moon on a cloudless night my heart would say “How much more beautiful are You Father than these things You have made.”
Romans 5:7-8 was on my heart during prayer recently. I was praying in a moment of discouragement from the enemy where I said that there is no one like God who gives Himself up through Jesus Christ to die on the cross for sinners like me. Even though other people worship other gods that were created by their own corrupted imaginations I am not going to fall into worshipping a false god of my own to ease the suffering in my life and deny Jesus in that.
The passage in John 6:67-68 is a good reminder for me because during a battle against the forces of Satan it is an anchor for my faith in Jesus. Truly I would say to myself many times that there is no point in turning back to my old ways because I will only be meeting death again in sin. Eternal life can only be found in Jesus and in no one else, therefore I will keep plowing forward by God’s grace.
Lord, we thank you for Your undeserving grace toward us. And thank You always for my brother and sister in Christ of the Pilgrimage way for sharing their testimony of Your mercy and goodness in their lives.
Amen
Thank you for this