For Heaven's Sake!

I'd like to borrow an old expression I use to hear when I was young. I don't hear it anymore, maybe it was a southern expression or maybe it's just outdated. But when I was young, fairly frequently I'd hear older people say, for heaven's sake... I don't know if the Lord liked it too much, it was usually expressing shock at something that had happened that was bad or toward some child who had done something ridiculous (for heaven's sake child, what are you doing?!). Like I said, I want to borrow it and just raise the question: What are you doing for heaven's sake? Some of us if we look back over the past week could not find one thing we've done for heaven's sake. But here's a list of a few things we could do:

Tell someone about the Lord. Our children, neighbor, co-worker. Tell the postman, the school teacher, baseball coach, friend at school. But for heaven's sake we need to tell somebody about the Lord!

Make a list of people we want to be in heaven and begin praying for them. Pray that God will open up a door of opportunity for us to teach someone. Pray He will help us see how to bear their burden so it will make their journey to heaven a little easier. But for heaven's sake, we need to pray for others.

Get our selves ready to go there. Can you imagine the day when you make your appearance before God's throne, we all will (2 Cor. 5:10). If you have ever attended this assembly, you've already received an invitation (by way of the message of the gospel). Can you imagine if that day arrived sooner than you thought? When I was living at home, Sunday morning by 8:30am, I was expected to be dressed for services. If I wasn't dressed and ready, you might hear my mom saying: for heaven's sake Michael, get ready we've got to leave soon! I didn't perceive the significance of her statement then, and she may have not either, but I should have! James said, for those who want to be prepared to stand before God, "cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded" (4:8). Would James say to you today, for heaven's sake,_________ get ready, you've got to leave soon!

Work hard everyday as to the Lord, Col.3:23-24. Diligence and hard work is highly respected in our country, But do we recognize that this value applies spiritually to Christians who work for heaven's sake. Sometimes it is at a secular job where we have harsh or ungrateful employers. Sometimes it is at home where we have harsh ungrateful spouses. Do we honor the Lord by diligent work, proper behavior, right attitudes and pure motives? Paul reminded the Christians that our reward is in heaven. So for heaven's sake, work hard! Work hard everyday and you will have a reward.

Old songs mean far more to me now than they did when I was a kid. We sing songs like "I want to be a worker for the Lord," or "To the work to the work we are servants of God, let us follow the path that our Master has trod..." The chorus of that hymn says, "toiling on, toiling on, toiling on, toiling on, let us hope, let us trust, and labor till the Master comes." I remember as a kid in church, thinking that sounds kind of silly. I didn't even give a moment thought as to what it was suggesting. Now it is different. Now I am asking myself the question, am I as diligent as I ought to be. When I sing, Heaven Hold's All to Me, am I singing a truth or a falsehood. So, does heaven hold all to you? If it does, we need as ourselves the question that my mom occasionally asked me: What are you doing, for heaven's sake?

Mike