But do you want to go now?

Posted byoakhillcrossvillePosted inUncategorized
Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Heaven”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ – which is far better – but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” Philippians 1:23 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “But do you want to go now?”
 
Do you want to go to heaven? I’m sure you probably answered “yes”. But the next question is, “Do you want to go now?” I’m thinking you probably weren’t as quick to answer that one. The pious-sounding answer would be “Yes, of course. I want to go now.” But do you really? We all want to go to heaven – someday, but the truth is that most of us are not in a big hurry to get there. Most of us enjoy living and we would like to continue doing so for a while longer.
 
The country singer Kenny Chesney once sang an amusing little song about this. The title was “Everybody wants to go to heaven.” Here are some of the words:
 
“Everybody wants to go to heaven, have a mansion high above the clouds,
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.
 
Everybody wants to go to heaven; it beats the other place there ain’t no doubt;
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.
 
Everybody wants to go to heaven, Hallelujah, let me hear you shout;
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.
I think I speak for the crowd.”
 
I think he does too. I think he speaks for the crowd.
 
The song is funny, but there’s also a lot of truth to it. As we noted in yesterday’s devotional, God created us with a longing in our hearts to be with Him in heaven. But He has also created a beautiful earth for us to live in now, and He has filled life with lots of enjoyable experiences. Therefore, we all find ourselves wanting to go to heaven, but not yet.
 
However, don’t feel too guilty about that. There are some good reasons for this tension between wanting to go to heaven but not wanting to go now. Tomorrow we will give some thought to why that is and whether it’s okay to feel that way.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville
 
 
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Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

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