What gets me into heaven?

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Ephesians 2:8 New Living Translation

Imagine heaven with egos!

If what we did or who we knew or what we possessed or how smart we were could get us there, heaven would be a most unsatisfying place.

The rich would be comparing bank statements and portfolios. They’d talk of exotic trips, the horsepower of their automobiles and  the square footage of their homes. Obviously pictures would be passed around.

The wise would be comparing SAT scores and transcripts. Theirs would be a tale of advancement by using their minds to their best advantage. These ‘darling of academia’ would have much to boast about.

The extremely athletic would talk in terms of hundredths of seconds, late-in-the-game heroics, records that stood the test of time and pictures of rooms filled with evidences of their prowess.

Then we would find a noisy grouping of those proud of their associations and friends. There would be plenty of  ‘up-manship’ taking place here! Who you knew and who you had met could take you to unheard of places and opportunities of a lifetime. The theme of this group would be “See if you can top this!” Exhilarating conversation to be sure.

And let’s not forget the religious contingent either. They’d be there in abundance. And why shouldn’t they be? They’d worked hard to get here. Their talk would revolve around spiritual activities and deeds done. Even the smallest good deeds would be remembered in detail. Every altruistic action that helped them make it here would be recalled with pride.

A heaven filled with ego.

Not the kind of place I’d like to hang around for an afternoon, let alone eternity. Acknowledging the death of Jesus provides us with a chance to deal with our pride. The narrative of the cross offers the simplest of story lines:  Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, while I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to take my sins away!

When we reach heaven it won’t be because we earned it, finagled it, impressed someone enough, strategized ourselves there or were smart enough. We’ll be there because God is good and loved us … and we simply believed it.

To God be the glory!

“God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves.

His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven.”

Colossians 1:13,14  God’s Word Translation