by Pastor Bob Coy

We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
—1 Chronicles 29:15

When we are young, we tend to think more about how God will bless us, guide us, and provide for us in this life. But as we get older, if we are smart, we also will start thinking about our future destination. If you are preparing for a trip, you probably will check the forecast for where you will be going, because you want to know how to prepare. As Christians, we are preparing for a journey, and the destination is heaven.

Deep inside us, there is a longing for a place we have never been. We are not dazzled by the world’s enticements like we once were. We see these things for what they are, and they no longer have the magnetic pull they once had. But the things of God pull us even more toward Him.

This unique quality that we have inside us, this longing for heaven, is put there by God. C. S. Lewis described it as “the secret signature of each soul.” It is like the little boy who, when asked how he knew his kite was still on the end of the string, replied, “I know it is there, because I can feel its pull.” I know heaven is there, because I can feel its pull. And I know that one day I will be there.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Colossians 3:1). The phrase, “set your sights,” speaks of a diligent act of single-minded investigation. Another way to translate this verse is simply, “Think heaven.” As Warren Wiersbe has said, “For the Christian, heaven isn’t simply a destination; it’s a motivation.”

Is heaven your motivation today?

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
—Romans 8:29

Suffering can be used to prepare us for a special task. The greatest example of this is Joseph, who was mistreated by his brothers and sold into slavery for 20 pieces of silver. But Joseph lived out the truth of Romans 8:28: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

His brothers thought they would never see Joseph again, but God, through His providence, elevated Joseph to be the second most powerful man in Egypt, in charge of the food supply. So when a famine hit the land and the brothers of Joseph went to Egypt for grain, little did they know they were standing before the brother whom they had betrayed. They didn’t recognize him with the passing of time. And they certainly didn’t expect to see him in that position.

But Joseph recognized them, and eventually he revealed to them that he was their brother. They collectively thought, And we are . . . dead. But then he made an amazing statement: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).

The same is true for us. Even when bad comes our way, God can bring good out of bad. We often isolate Romans 8:28 and don’t think of the verse that follows it: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

God’s end game, God’s big plan for you, is not to merely make you happy; it is also to make you holy. God’s desire is that you become like Jesus.

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
—1 Thessalonians 5:8

For 17 years of my life, I lived in an alcoholic home. I spent a lot of time around drunk people. That is pretty much all I saw from morning to night. I observed a variety of drunks and the way they reacted to alcohol, and I noticed something about people who come under its influence: they try and act as though they are not affected by it, and they do stupid things.

Alcohol is not the only thing that can intoxicate us in life. There are many things people come under the influence of and don’t even realize it. In speaking of the last days, Jesus warned, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34-35).

The apostle Paul urged Christians waiting for Christ’s return, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8). To be sober means to be clear-headed. We are to be alert. We are to be awake, sane, and steady—not drunk and sleeping.

There is false teaching today that is designed to entrap you and pull you away from God (see 1 Timothy 4:1). That is why there has never been a time when it is more important for us to know the Bible and to walk closely with God.

We are to wake up, sober up, and suit up with our spiritual armor, because we are in a spiritual battle. And if we fail to realize that, then we will become casualties of war.