If there was no Heaven or Hell, would you still follow God?
It floored me. All my life, I had been asked if I was a follower of Christ, but never before had anyone asked me why I was a follower of Christ.
Why did I follow Him? What was my goal? To ensure that I had my "get out of Hell free" card? Or was it for Himself?
Fast-forward to the present. Because these questions never really go away; they just crop up again in different forms. I came across a verse the other day, one of those verses that I've heard so often that most of the time, I hardly pay much attention to it anymore. It was Jeremiah 29:13:
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.It got me thinking. God said to seek Him. Yes, I would say that I'm a seeker--but am I really seeking Him? Or am I seeking other things? For instance: Brownie points for doing good things. Easy formulas to implement into my life instead of dealing with the sticky mess that comes with any relationship. Spiritual gifts, not for His glory, but so that I feel better about myself through my contributions to the Kingdom of God.
If I'm being honest with myself, and with you, I'd have to admit that all too often I'm not searching for God. I may trick myself into believing my motivations are pure, but what I really want are His goodies. Forgetting His promise that when I seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, everything else will be added (Mat. 6:33).
Yes, He has promised us good things. And yes, the hope of Heaven is a bright light ahead when all else around us is darkness. But the best thing, the greatest hope in Heaven, won't be the sparkling seas of crystal or the gold-paved streets. It won't even be the long-missed faces of our loved ones who have reached the gates before us. The true prize of our soul has always been the marvelous and holy Presence of our Father and King. When He is the one we search for, we will never be disappointed.
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