Love to hear from and know who is listening
People have different ideas about heaven. Many have no understanding of heaven at all, they think of heaven as a "better place" where we all go when we die. Most people don’t give heaven much thought at all until they attend the funeral or a loved one. It is popular to refer to heaven as the place where "the good people go." And of course, everyone they know and love is included in the category of "good people." No human being is holy and perfect enough for heaven. The people we call "good" are not good at all compared to the sinless perfection of God.
Romans 3:10 NIV There is no one righteous, not even one.
If God allowed sinful humans to enter the perfection of heaven, it would no longer be perfect. What standard should be used to determine who is "good enough?" God’s standard is the only one that counts, and Romans 3:23 says that "all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory." And the payment for that sin is eternal separation from God. The judgment we face at death is God bringing our accounts up to date and passing sentence on our crimes against Him. We have no way to make our wrongs right! Our good does not outweigh our bad! One sin ruins perfection, just as one drop of poison in a glass of water poisons the whole glass. So God became man and took our punishment upon Himself. Jesus was God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life of obedience. He had no sin, yet at the cross He took our sin and made it His own. Once He paid the price for our sin, we could be declared holy and perfect. When we confess our sins to Him and ask His forgiveness, He stamps "Paid in Full" over our life. So in a moment we are made perfect, sinless! I believe when we arrive in heaven we will be surprised at who we see and who we do not see. I am confident there will be people there that according to the world were terrible, but in a moment confessed their sins and asked Jesus to forgive them and are accepted into heaven. I am equally confident that there are people on earth that the world believes are saints that will not be in heaven. There will be no good people in heaven! There is nothing you can do to earn your way into heaven!
Ephesians 2: 8-9 NIV For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.
The people who go to heaven are all alike in one way: they are sinners who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. Even though there is nothing we can do on our own to earn our way into heaven it is very important what we do with our lifetime after the moment we accept Jesus into our hearts. God’s goal in saving us was not only to rescue us from hell, but also that we would reflect His character and goodness to the world. God delights seeing us becoming more like His Son. We were created in God’s image. Sin marred that image. When the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us, He prompts us to do things that glorify God. Our desire to please God grows as our understanding of Him grows. That desire to please God results in good works.
Matthew 25:21 NIV “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant....
To hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from Jesus, first make sure you are saved! The unbelieving will never hear those words, for without faith it is impossible to please God! It all comes down to this: Love God above all else and love your neighbor as yourself. After your lifetime is complete and you stand at the judgment seat of Christ, those who are faithful to the Lord who saved them will hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!
