Dear Family and Friends,

Have you ever contemplated what you’ll be doing in Heaven?

Cartoons of the past suggested we will play harps while sitting on clouds.

Revelation 22:3 NIV says otherwise.

“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.”

How will we serve the Lord in the New Earth?

God gave the following instructions to Adam before the fall.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”  ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I imagine we’ll receive something similar when our turn comes.

One reason for my contemplation was the obvious fact that certain jobs will no longer be needed.

Will there be jobs in the fields of Medicine, Law, Law Enforcement, Armed Services, Politics? Highly doubtful.

What about the need for clergy? Will I have to give up pastoring and return to accounting?

So, let me ask – do you like the work you’re doing? (This question applies to retirees as well.)

Many consider themselves blessed by their work. But I would say many more shudder at the thought of doing it forever…

Thankfully we can do something on this side of Heaven to better prepare ourselves for our future.

“Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.”  ‭‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭10‬,12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

One day we will all stand before God, and He will administer a final test of our lives before we enter eternity.

Fortunately, we have a God who wants us to pass – so He gave us the questions in advance. From the Bible we can surmise that God will ask us two crucial questions:

The first will be, “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?”

This won’t be a test of our religious background (did you go to church every week) (or did you read the Bible daily). He won’t ask that we quote scripture. Or explain the context and meaning.

The only thing that will matter is – did we accept what Jesus did for us.

And did we learn to love and trust him?

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  ‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The second question will be, “What did you do with what I gave you? What did you do with your life – with all the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources I gave you?”

Did you use them for yourself?

Or did you use them for the purposes for which I made you?

Our answer to the first question will determine where we spend eternity.

Our answer to the second question will determine what we do for an eternity.

Underlying both questions is a theme that runs throughout the Bible:

What we do here on earth matters. Our future life in Heaven depends on how we live in this current life on earth.

It’s a theme evident in Jesus’ parable of the Ten Talents in Matthew 25 and Luke 19.

A theme seen in the many verses about a reward in Heaven.

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”‭‭  James‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What sets Christians apart from those of other religions is that we live not for this life but the next.

This mindset helps us see past hardships. It’s why death, the doorway to Heaven, does not scare us.

So as we live this life with our eyes fixed on the next, let’s not forget that Jesus wants us to do our best with all we’ve been given in all the places He sets us in.

And, my friends, that includes our places of work.

In love always,