You won’t get to heaven unless you really want to. That’s what the Bible tells us.
Jesus wanted to go to heaven. Hebrews tells us that the joy of heaven propelled his life of faith (Hebrews 12:2). It’s what motivated him to run and run all the way to the end. The same joy motivated the other heroes too, from Abel to Zechariah (Hebrews 11:4, 37). All ran through dangers and toils and snares — too many to count — and they didn’t stop. Why? Because they longed for heaven. They longed for the heavenly country that they could see just beyond the finish line (Hebrews 11:13–16).
You can’t run the race of faith all the way to the end without a clear vision of heaven. Your legs will give out. The strength of your resolve won’t be enough. The course is too steep. The headwind too strong. Ask the heroes. Ask Jesus. They’ll all say the same thing. Only the joys of heaven can sustain the race of faith.
