Not Worthy to Be Compared
We all know the following is true. Put a diamond in one hand and a piece of candy in the other. Now, present both of them to a small child and ask which one he would like to have. You know that he will choose the piece of candy. To him that is the most valuable thing at that moment. A diamond means nothing to him.
Heaven, like the diamond, has an intrinsic value that those of us who are mature understand. I want to go to heaven. You want to go to heaven. We know that our paychecks cannot buy heaven. We know there is nothing physical that even comes close to comparing to heaven. We even know that all physical things piled up together are not worthy to be compared to heaven in value.
Jesus was very clear on this point. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul.” (Mark 8:36-37).
However, we are often distracted from heavenly thoughts, some for a longer time than others, by two things. First, even though we admit the value of heaven compared to the value of anything physical, we sometimes get caught up in the pursuit of things physical to the detriment of our journey toward heaven.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Second, we are often distracted from our thoughts of heaven by the adversities that we encounter on earth. Paul said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18).
One of the keys to handling adversity is keeping our minds on heaven and the unfathomable value of its glory. If we ever buy into the belief that the gain is not worth the pain, we are in serious trouble.
Heaven is the Christian’s treasure as well as the place where the Christian stores his treasures. Paul wrote, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (I Corinthians 2:9).
These words from Paul are a form of the words of Isaiah. “For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” (Isaiah 64:4). Since God is a God far beyond any god that mankind can invent or imagine, there is no way to fathom fully the things He has prepared for those who love Him and wait for Him!
