By Pastor Bryan Carver Some might ask, “Why spend weeks talking about Heaven when there’s so much happening here on earth?” The answer is simple: because God commands us to. The more clearly we see Heaven, the less tightly we cling to earth. The book of Hebrews reminds us, “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14).
When our treasure is in Heaven, our grip on earthly wealth and comfort loosens. Moses understood this when he “considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).
This is the antidote to the consumerism and discontent that plague our age. The more we dwell on what awaits us in glory, the more content we become with what we have now. We stop chasing what cannot last because we’ve already been promised what cannot fade.
The story of Edward Harriman illustrates the futility of living for this world. After spending decades amassing wealth and building his 100,000-square-foot estate, he moved into his dream home, and died there just a few months later. How tragic to devote one’s life to a kingdom that cannot follow beyond the grave. Christian, this world is not your home. We are pilgrims passing through, heirs of a better country, a heavenly one.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians that their love for one another was because of “the hope laid up for you in Heaven” (Colossians 1:5). Hope fuels love.
When we know we have an eternal inheritance that can never be taken away, we can afford to love sacrificially in this life. We can serve without fear of loss, give without anxiety, forgive without resentment.
The early Christians joyfully accepted “the plundering of their property” because they knew they had “a better possession and an abiding one” (Hebrews 10:34). Heavenly hope made earthly sacrifice possible.
C.S. Lewis said it well: “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.” The Christians who have done the most for this world are precisely those whose minds have been most occupied with the next.
We live in a fallen world. Every day’s headlines remind us of it: violence, corruption, suffering, injustice. Without Heaven, the pain of this world makes no sense. But with Heaven, we can endure.
Romans 12:19 tells us, “Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord.” The believer who contemplates Heaven knows that no sin will go unpunished, no wrong unrighted, no tear unnoticed. God’s justice will prevail perfectly and eternally.
Pastor Sam Storms said, “Only from our anticipation of the new perspective of Heaven, from which we one day will look back and evaluate what now seems senseless, can we be empowered to endure this world in all its ugliness.”
So when we suffer injustice, we bless our persecutors and overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14–21). We do not retaliate because we see the bigger picture. Heavenly perspective produces earthly peace.
How do we endure trials, loss, and pain? By fixing our eyes on what is to come.
Paul says in Romans 8:18, “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” In 2 Corinthians 4, he calls them “light and momentary afflictions” not because they’re painless, but because they pale beside the eternal weight of glory being prepared for us.
We persevere because we can “see the shore.” Like Florence Chadwick, who nearly completed her 21-mile swim across the Pacific but gave up when she lost sight of land, we too can falter when Heaven fades from view. But when we keep our eyes on the eternal city, perseverance becomes possible.
Even Jesus, Scripture says, endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” The thought of future glory empowered His present obedience, and so it must be for us.
Finally, setting our minds on Heaven sanctifies our hearts on earth. The more we anticipate seeing Christ face-to-face, the more we desire to be like Him now. Heavenly hope doesn’t detach us from life, it refines us for life.
This is why we must talk more about Heaven, not just for the dying, but for the living. The doctrine of Heaven was never meant to be a distant comfort; it’s meant to be a daily compass.
When our hearts are fixed on eternity, our faith becomes unshakable, our love unstoppable, and our joy unbreakable.
So let me ask: are you Homesick for Heaven? Do you find yourself longing more for the presence of Christ than the pleasures of earth? If not, pray that God would renew your appetite for glory.
Heaven is not a dream, it is your destiny if you are in Christ. Every sorrow will soon be swallowed up by joy. Every loss will be restored in abundance. Every moment of suffering will make sense when faith becomes sight.
Let us live now as citizens of that better country, walking by faith, loving in hope, and looking for the blessed day when Christ welcomes us home.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’” — Revelation 22:17
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” — Colossians 3:1–2
For many of us, the word heaven stirs only vague notions, clouds and choirs, light and peace, but very few concrete thoughts. If asked what Heaven is like, most Christians could say little beyond “it’s better than here.” And yet, Heaven is our true home. It is where our Savior reigns and where our citizenship lies (Philippians 3:20).
It should strike us as strange that something so central to the Christian faith is so rarely studied or spoken about. We talk often about how to get there, but we seldom stop to consider where we’re going. As J.C. Ryle once said, “Surely, if we hope to dwell forever in that better country, we ought to seek all the knowledge we can get about it.”
That is what this new series Homesick for Heaven is all about. It’s about lifting our gaze from the temporary to the eternal, from the dust of this earth to the glory of what’s above. It’s about rekindling that deep, God-given longing for our eternal home.
Why Think So Much About Heaven?
Paul’s words in Colossians 3 are not a gentle encouragement, they’re an imperative. “Set your minds on things above.” The word Paul uses for “seek” (zeteo) implies an active, ongoing pursuit, the same word used to describe Jesus “seeking” the lost. It’s not passive curiosity; it’s a diligent, lifelong investigation. The Christian life is meant to be lived with one eye fixed on eternity.
And this heavenly focus isn’t a luxury for the overly spiritual, it’s essential to Christian maturity. Every believer who grows in holiness, endurance, and joy does so because their heart has been anchored in Heaven.
Heavenly Mindedness Frees Us from Worldly Living
Heavenly Mindedness Enables Us to Love Deeply
Heavenly Mindedness Gives Perspective on Injustice
Heavenly Mindedness Produces Perseverance in Suffering
Heavenly Mindedness Purifies Our Hearts
1 John 3:2–3 declares, “When He appears we shall be like Him… And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure.” The more we think about Heaven, the more we long for holiness.
Living Now with Eyes Fixed on Forever