Heaven Help Us

Before you read, think for a moment...

1. What do you think heaven will be like? What will be there, and what won’t? Where did you first remember getting your ideas about heaven?
2. Who do you think will be in heaven? Who won’t be? Upon what do you base your conclusion? Who influenced you to think this way?
3. Does it matter what we think heaven will be like, who’s in or out, and what we think get a person in or not?
4. What does heaven do for us in our everyday living? Why does heaven matter to us?

 

Mack’s vision of heaven and its impact on his life. As part of Mack’s visit with God at the shack, God gave him a glimpse of heaven in ways that he could sort of interpret. He got to see his Missy – what joy that gave him! And he also got to see his abusive father, now fully restored, and was able to embrace him in love. Mack’s vision of heaven changed the way he thought about life on earth.

 

Our view of heaven impacts our sense of hope. Even if life is great for us in this life, we will all still face death and taxes. For many, heaven is that final destination where we will no longer pay taxes. And a close second behind that is heaven will be the ultimate family reunion where we get to see everybody again. But this time without any weirdness that always accompanies families of all kinds. For those who suffer in this life, heaven gets us through. Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. For those who are poor in this world, the riches of heaven (which almost rival Disneyland) help us deal with our present poverty – our poor life here will only last a matter of years, whereas eternity is forever. Streets of gold, no more tears – this is the stuff of Revelation. For the lonely and abandoned, Jesus picture of heaven in John 14 gives us hope that one day we will be loved by our Heavenly Father – so much that He’s added rooms on to His house to accommodate us!

 

Our view of heaven impacts how we live out our lives today. Worship through singing isn’t everybody’s highest hope for heaven. When some hear of heaven as a place of continual worship of God where the songs never cease, they cringe. To them, that sounds like hell! To those who mostly value heaven as the family reunion, our focus here on earth is likely to be mostly about our own families. For those who see heaven as the ultimate rags to riches experience, or the miracle healing we’ve been waiting for, it can severely rob this life of much drive or meaning – we’re just surviving the days, counting the minutes until we can get the heck out of here.

 

Our understanding of how we gain assurance of our future entrance to heaven also impacts how we live our lives. Some people think it’s a matter of being part of the church. If I go to confession and take communion somewhat regularly, I’m in. There have been many stories told of murders who went to confession immediately before their next act of violence just in case they themselves got killed, wanting to make sure they get though those pearly gates. Others have been told to say the magic words, and they’ll be guaranteed their place in heaven. John 3:16 is often used, as is the Roman Road (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, and 10:13). If they just say the words, they’re in. Who can argue with it - it’s right there in black and white? Some just figure everybody gets in, “as is.”

 

The power of congruence. Heaven, as the reality where God’s reign and presence is absolutely pure and unadulterated, is the source of all life and creation. All of our images of heaven as a hopeful place basically are rooted in this idea. When we’re there, we’re no longer shackled by all that is here. Being part of the church community isn’t the golden ticket, but the reminder of what matters. Our confession of Christ isn’t simply magic words, but reality that needs to sink in deeply, assuring us of God’s grace and forgiveness. The refiner’s fire of Malachi 3:1-3, 4:1-3, and Corinthians 3:10-15 remind us that we have before us a choice to build our lives upon that which lasts or chaff. The latter choice leads to a ridiculous life that amounts to very little now, accompanied by very little hope that heaven will be our final resting place. The former choice leads to increasingly greater life here on earth, confidently moving toward that day when all we’ve been held back by is removed.

 

That’s the picture I think God is after. Allowing our view of heaven to help us experience as much in this life as possible – all driven and called by God. Our motive changes to that found in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. All of life is built on our relationship with God. Jesus Christ came to give us a living, breathing understanding of God’s heart, God’s grace, and God’s hope for all of humanity.

 

May you grow beyond immature, unreflective opinions of heaven. May you embrace the gift God has given you in Christ. May you walk in relationship with God in ways that reflect heaven, the source of life. And may you confidently look forward to the day when all of your Kingdom efforts are immediately brought to completion.

Think…

1. How is your vision of heaven similar or different from some of the viewpoints listed here, or that you have heard?
2. How is your understanding of how we get into heaven similar or different than some of the points noted above?
3. How is heaven helping you live a better life today?
4. How is heaven motivating your devotional life today?
5. How is heaven motivating your good works today?
6. How is heaven motivating your sharing Christ with others today?
7. How is heaven motivating you to give generously to Kingdom causes today?
8. How is heaven motivating you to improve your relationships today?
9. How is heaven helping you be a better employee today?
10. How is heaven helping you pray more fervently today?

Break the Chains

Mack had a number of people to forgive in his life. His abusive father. His daughter’s murderer. Himself. God. Even though Mack was a fictional character, everybody can relate to his experience on some level, and be challenged to learn along with him. Mack struggle is the human struggle – learning to forgive those we believe are not worthy of forgiveness. Discovering that forgiveness isn’t simply about justice, but freedom – not simply for those we forgive, but perhaps more so, freedom for ourselves.
Eve was faced with the forgiveness issue – why didn’t Adam come to hear aid when she needed her companion most? Adam was faced with the forgiveness issue – why didn’t Eve simply listen to him – if she never would have accepted the fruit to even try, neither of them would have been tempted to take a bite. Both certainly felt duped after their indulgence, and must have been enraged at the tempter. I wonder if they needed to forgive that snake in the grass? Maybe they even got upset at God for creating such a rule in the first place – maybe they felt like God had wronged them – and therefore needed to forgive even God. Unfortunately, the pain didn’t end there – they would eventually go through the pain of losing a child to a horrible death. Their son, Cain, killed their other son, Abel. So many levels to forgive…

The fact is that every character in the Bible was faced with the issue of forgiveness on profound levels. Noah. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. Leah. Rachel. Esau. Dinah. Simeon and Levi. Tamar. Joseph. Joseph’s brothers. The stories from the Bible’s first book, Genesis, involve people who lived through are the stories of all of us. Life isn’t a picnic. That is, unless you picnic in the Midwest, where you never know what the weather might bring (the old joke about Kansas weather: Don’t like it? Wait an hour, ‘cause it will change…).

Unfortunately, we human beings struggle to forgive. For lots of reasons…

• The person we may need to forgive doesn’t deserve it.
• The person we may need to forgive hasn’t confessed.
• The person we may need to forgive hasn’t asked for forgiveness.
• The person we may need to forgive knows they are guilty, but doesn’t care – they aren’t sorry.
• The person we may need to forgive did such a horrible thing – they deserve to go to the grave unforgiven – that’s justice.
• The person we need to forgive won’t get it because we’re not ready to forgive – someday we’ll be in a better frame of mind.
• The person we may need to forgive won’t get it because they are dead – what’s the point of forgiving someone who’s already dead?
• The person we may need to forgive won’t get it because it’s ourselves, and we know we aren’t worthy of being forgiven.

Our need for justice is, I think, our biggest hang up when it comes to forgiving. The person we see as the primary benefactor of forgiveness is also off the mark.

But here’s the thing: forgiveness is scandalous – it isn’t just – it’s unfair. And forgiveness really isn’t about the person who needs to be forgiven, it’s about the forgiver. We, as the one’s who hold on to forgiveness, are the ones who suffer – much more than those who have hurt us in some way. When we don’t forgive, we give power to all that isn’t life over our lives. We choose to wear pain and sadness and bitterness and rage when we choose not to forgive.

Jesus was teaching one day when a woman was literally tossed, naked, before him and the audience (John 8). She was caught in adultery – a set up, really, to trap Jesus. She was guilty, but she was a pawn. You’ve probably heard how the story ends. Jesus doesn’t condemn her, but forgives her. She would have another chapter to live. And Jesus would live free from the need to hold her in contempt by forgiving her right there on the spot. After all, if she would have been living right, she wouldn’t have been sleeping with that guy (where was he, anyway? Hmmm.). If she wouldn’t have been caught, his teaching wouldn’t have become a setting for a trap. Her sin negatively affected him – could have ended his ministry right then. Jesus could have been angry. But he chose to forgive.

Jesus, representing and embodying God, always chose to forgive. Why? Because life and unforgiveness don’t go together. And because bitterness and relationship don’t, either. If God wants the people he loves (all portions of humanity) to experience life, forgiveness has to happen. If God wants relationship with us, forgiveness has to happen. We’ve done plenty to mess with God. And God forgives endlessly. And so should we if we want to live, and if we want to live in relationship with the God who gave us life and breath. Forgive, because when we don’t, we choose to wear the chains, and our actions model chains as fashionable for all others to see.

Think…

1. What does forgiveness mean to you?
2. Who do you have a hard time forgiving? Why?
3. When have you really experienced being forgiven by another? What was it like? What did it do for you?
4. When have you forgiven someone in order to be free from the need to perpetually condemn? What did that do for you?
5. What if the person we need to forgive is dead, or dangerous? Does forgiveness need face time with the offender to count?
6. Why do you need God’s forgiveness? Don’t get churchy, here – seriously, why do we need it? (Note: We do need it, but I think we comfortably hide behind a theology of holiness that keeps us from really thinking this through and owning/experiencing this personally).
7. How does forgiving break our chains, others’ chains, and influence chain-breaking in others?
8. What steps are you going to take to pursue forgiving this week?

May you find joy and life and freedom and relationship and renewed faith and…

because you have chosen to forgive.

The Show

Life is a like theater. Sometimes it’s a comedy. Sometimes a tragedy. Often a drama. By virtue of our birth, we have been cast into our unique role. Your experience of the show depends a lot on how you think about God.


In William Young’s book, The Shack, Mack found himself struggling with his role in the show when the storyline took a horrible, unexpected twist: his six-and-a-half year old daughter was abducted, abused, killed, and her body was never recovered. He believed that God had acted poorly as the writer, director, and producer of his production. He was feeling swallowed up by this Great Sadness. He was angry at God. He wondered if God cared, or if God was caring at all. He found himself judging God for not being very good at being God. If God was in control, after all, he could have prevented Missy from such a horrible fate – he could have re-written the script.

We’ve all struggled at one time or another with Mack’s issue. Maybe we haven’t lost a child, but we have probably lost hope a time or two. I would suggest, in fact, that if we have never experienced heartache, we haven’t been paying attention to the drama that’s been unfolding since we drew our first breath. Sometimes life is very, very tough. How we view God’s role in our drama makes a huge difference regarding how well we like the show we’re in.

Some people have adopted a view that is about 500 years old. In this view, which was put forth as part of the Reformation, God is seen as completely sovereign over every detail of creation. Everything has been predestined to play out according to God’s plan. This is good news, if you subscribe to this view, because this perspective also believes that human beings are completely incapable of doing anything right. That’s why some are predestined to faith, grace, and heaven, and others are not – we humans simply cannot find God all by ourselves. If you, in times of duress, have ever said something like, “God must have a reason for this,” then you have a little bit of this theological perspective at work in your life. I want to warn you about this view. It is deadly. It can severely limit the quality of your life because it can severely limit your relationship with God. In this view, you are basically a pawn, a slave, and sometimes a victim of God. If you’ve felt this way, there is a better way to view your role and God’s role in the drama of life.

Another, opposite view of God’s sovereignty is that God is totally disconnected. One philosophical position views God as a great clock maker who, after making the clock and winding it up, took off. Once it winds down, he may be back. But he doesn’t really care what happens between now and then. This can also be a killjoy, because our view of life and God is pretty meaningless. Lonely. Nothing worth living for, really, and nobody who ultimately cares.

Mack discovered a different view of God’s role in the human drama that provided for a much better life experience, much more hope through the tough times, and a purpose worth pursuing. Through his interaction with God at the shack, Mack learned that God doesn’t violate the free will which humanity has been given, but certainly responds with grace as we make our choices for good or harm. All the while, God is weaving everything together to create beauty even out of the ugliest threads of history – a tapestry that only God can weave. And even though we have confidence that God is going to work everything out in the end, we have our role to play now that impacts the “when” of the “then”.

The God I know is a God who is fully aware of the role I play in this human drama. My decisions are my own, and the consequences are real. I have a choice to perform my role all by myself, with little or no help from God, even though he is an incredibly wise, insightful Director who can make me come alive in my role. I can try to pull off my show on my own resources with no help from God, who is a generous Producer with infinite contacts and connections and resources who can make my show a success. It is a choice.

Wisdom suggests that you and I take full advantage of this great Director and Producer if we want to experience all that life can be. The more we give ourselves to this relationship, the more we discover that God knows what God is doing, that God is good, and that God can redeem even the most tragic Acts and Scenes. Because the God of the Bible really is very good, and loves us dearly.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power

that comes from God.

Think…

1. What does “God is in control” mean to you? Where’d you learn it?

2. How does your view of God’s sovereignty provide for or limit your relationship with God?

3. If you were Mack, what comfort came from his newfound perspective on God’s involvement with humanity? What difference does this make for you?

You Be The Judge?

Prep Your Thinking…


1. Are you a judging sort of person?

2. Who do you most easily judge?

3. How often do you judge others?

4. Under what circumstances do you usually judge others?

5. How do you feel when you judge others?

6. How have you judged God?

7. Why do you judge others – what’s it do for you?

8. How do you respond when others judge you?

9. What does God think of the judgments you’ve passed?



You are a judging person.

Yes you are.

The fact is we make judgment calls all day long, every day of our lives. We have to in order to survive. Every decision we make is a judgment call of sorts. We use this protect ourselves from harm, and to insure a better future. Like it or not, you are a judging person.

For a lot of judgment calls, nobody gets hurt. My morning eggs won’t get their feelings hurt if I consider them to be bland and add salt and pepper. One shirt won’t get jealous of another if I keep passing it up in favor of one I like more.

But if I tell a person they are bland, or if I repeatedly pass one friend in favor of another, it’s a different story, isn’t it?

In William Young’s book, The Shack, Mack got caught judging. To his surprise, however, he discovered that he had not only judged the man who abducted, abused and murdered his daughter, but many others as well. Ultimately, he was judging God.

Mack judged God because God didn’t do what God was supposed to do – his little girl, Missy, wasn’t protected and her assailant, The Lady Killer, was free to terrorize again. God was negligent.

We may not readily admit it, but I think we all struggle with this to varying degrees. Why does God let kids starve to death? Why doesn’t God send a lightning bolt Osama Bin Laden’s direction? How about cancer – why not get rid of that terrible disease with the snap of a god-sized finger?

This all got me to thinking about our motives for judging along these lines – and not just toward God, but everybody. Why do I judge people I don’t really know – from neighbors to politicians and celebrities? More painfully, why do I judge people I love the most – my wife, my family, my friends? Why do I judge God?

I think we judge because it feels like protection to us. When we make the call, we are in control. We can blame others for our pain. We don’t have to own the problems we’ve helped create. And in the case of life’s biggest issues, we don’t have to struggle with a sense of hopelessness – we distract ourselves, perhaps, with our angry, hurting blame of others for our plight.

Unfortunately, judging has a nasty, horrible side effect. The more we judge, the more isolated we become – from those we love and need the most, and from our greatest advocate, God. It first happened in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve judged God’s advice to be errant. Turned out God was accurate, and they were left naked and alone, estranged from each other and from God. Oh, how history repeats itself! How many times have each of us cast our judgment on any number of things, only to find out we didn’t quite have it right, and our brashness has left us feeling alone.

We can’t see everything or know everything. We cannot judge others because we are in no position to do so. We can pursue justice, but we cannot malign the heart of others along the way – we just don’t have the perspective required. And we can’t be God, let alone judge God for not being God the way we would if we could.

We can rest in the knowledge that God is good, that God can be trusted, that we can feel remorse for awful things that occur in our broken world, but that we can also walk in hopeful faith that God can and will bring it all together in the end, and everyone will say, “Well done.”