What God Has Prepared

What God Has Prepared
By, Charles W. Christian

We are never to be, in the words of the old saying, “so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.” In other words, we should recognize that while we are here we have a purpose, and that purpose is not simply to mark time (or kill time) until Jesus returns. Half-jokingly, I tell parishioners whom I am about to baptize that I will not hold them under until they drown! First of all, because that would be murder. Secondly, and seriously, it is because they are called to rise up from the waters of baptism, ready to go into the world and proclaim the world changing message of the love of Jesus Christ. We are in fact to embody the love and grace of Jesus here and now, in anticipation of what will someday be eternal rest, eternal justice, eternal peace, and a manifestation of love in ways never before imagined. That will be wonderful, and the hymn writers had the right idea when they wrote such lines as “What a time we will have over there!” Or, as in the words of the more contemporary song, "I can only imagine."

While we are here, we become the “sneak preview” of what is to come: a sort of God-empowered “coming attractions” promotion. That happens when we allow an authentic relationship with God to become translated into everyday living. As Richard Foster once reminded us in his now classic work on the Christian disciplines, we do not use our hectic world as an excuse or reason not to serve and be devoted to God. In fact, this hectic world provides the ideal place for the revolutionary testimony of Christian love to make the most impact.

In fact, neglecting our immediate mission to spread the love and grace of Christ in the midst of the current injustices of our world can actually negate the awesome transcendent message of heaven and eternal reward. It can cause Christians to see the Good News of Jesus as simply “fire insurance”, saving them from wrath or destruction. And it can lead non-believers to think of Christianity as mere escapism that has no lasting or meaningful impact upon today’s issues.

What we sometimes forget is that for Jesus, “eternal life” is not something that begins at death or in the afterlife or even at the time of judgment. For Jesus, eternal life is something that begins the moment we trust and follow him (See John 3:16 and John 10:10, for instance). This means that this new kind of life that Jesus gives is meant to be shared now, and not just hidden away until some time in the future. In fact, it is the witness of this new life – this new way of living – that invites others to participate in this Kingdom that will never end. We are called to be faithful day by day, little by little, until the time of ultimate consummation, when this Jesus who has been present with us the whole time finally appears to all face to face. Indeed, that will be a wonderful and refreshing time for all creation! However, the foreshadowing of that moment happens right now, in the everyday lives of people who have encountered the Living God through Jesus Christ and are seeking to share His love through whatever opportunities may arise.

The Bible teaches that “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has the mind conceived of the things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9). This is a promise for the future, to be sure. But it is also a promise that begins right now! A life that experiences God’s love and faithfulness right now is part of the long term promise. It is the kind of living that shares the promises of God and helps draw people to His new Kingdom. It is the kind of living that makes the eternal rewards better, because it will fill eternity with sweet stories of God’s faithfulness and love.