Heaven: Goal or Prize?

So my first week has been a great week.  I didn’t realize it until Friday, but this has been a week of checking off goals on my bucket list.  For those of you unaware of the bucket list, a bucket list is basically a list of goals you want to accomplish before you “kick the bucket!”

I checked off three of mine this week.  The first two involved the U2 concert.  I wanted to see U2 in concert (which was amazing I might add – Caleb and I thoroughly enjoyed it) and I wanted to see a game or concert at Soldier Field in Chicago.  I grew up watching Walter Payton do amazing feats of athleticism as the running back for the Chicago Bears.  So sitting in Soldier Field was a must.  

The third bucket list item included walking across a Civil War battlefield.  I’ve always loved history and grew to love Civil War history as a history major at Anderson University. Friday we visited Gettysburg National Military Park.  I was so excited to see it.  In fact, h finds it hard to get to be first in line at an amusement park, but I had her drop me off at 7:20am at the park’s visitor center so I could be first in line.  I wanted to be sure we secured the services of a licensed tour guide who would drive us around the battlefield.   Our guide was awesome.  At several moments, I was moved to tears as I reflected on the courage and valor of the men who fought this battle.  I cried as I read out loud the Gettysburg Address and realized once again what a great leader Abraham Lincoln was.  

A week filled with fulfilling goals on a list.  So here’s one of the questions that has been rattling around in my brain this week with the extra time I’ve had to reflect:  Is heaven our goal or prize?  Some may look at that question and say, “What does it matter?”  I’m just planning on going to heaven.  I think our answer has big implications for how we live.  If heaven is the prize and not the goal, then what is our goal?

I’m going to spend some time reflecting on scripture for a clearer understanding.  Let me be clear from the start:  None of us can earn our entrance into heaven.  Everything we receive from God is a pure gift of grace including heaven.  Some prizes aren’t earned.  They are pure gifts of grace.

One passage I’m going to really dig into is Philippians 3.  Paul talks about goals and prizes here.  This is the kind of reflection I want to do on Sabbatical that is challenging to do when I am so focused on ministry.  I hope you’ll reflect with me.  

So what do you think?  Is heaven our goal or our prize?