If the one promise is being with Him, is this not enough?

A DoYouReallyBelieve.com User asked the following question:

“I know the Bible consists of many of God’s wonderful promises, but sometimes I feel like the only promise that I can count on actually seeing come to pass is the promise that I’ll be with Him in heaven and everything that comes with that – but I still love Him and want to follow Him. I feel like our time in this fallen world is a kind of “purgatory” where we shouldn’t really count on anything “good” happening because people are bad by default. Is this an unhealthy attitude to have as Christian and, if so, why?”

Some Thoughts:

It is true that we come into this world tainted with sin and we have a sinful nature that pulls to rebellion, disobedience…   But when a person becomes a follower of Jesus, he is given a new nature.  This new nature is not sinless, rather it frees us from the power of sin so that we can overcome, and not yield to, sin.

And yes, there are many events, issues, tragedies… that take place in EVERYONE’S life – they are there, not as purgatory, but as reminders of the emptiness of life without Jesus.  Some of the people – no – many of the people who are enduring some of the most difficult circumstances have the strongest, most joyous faith.

The gospel doesn’t simply rescue us from the past and for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and insignificance.

When you actually feel like you have nothing – Jesus becomes more to you than you ever could have hoped for or imagined.

I tell you that I have felt this way myself.  I’ve asked God to help me and He has.  The specific verses that come to mind for me are:

Look through the Bible to where God ask, “Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?” Mark 8:18 (NIV)

This is one example of where Jesus is basically asking the disciples if they can see the big picture.  When I have asked God for eyes to see and ears to hear, I have started to see some true miracles.  When I get caught up in self or in the world, I seem to stop seeing what is really around me.

In Hebrews 12 (NIV) it tells us that pain is discipline from the Father to produce righteousness.

Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear?  Do you hunger more for God in a fallen world?