Building a Stairway to Heaven

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. —Philippians 3:20-21

Devotion

It would probably come as a shock to people, but the truth is, many are trying to build a stairway to heaven. That really isn’t an exaggeration. By far, the single most popular answer to the question, “Who goes to heaven?” is, “Good people who do good things.” It’s very much a pay-to-go proposition. Every time a person does something good, they receive another stair for their stairway to heaven.

If they do something that is out of the ordinary good, they might get several additional stairs. If they are good enough, by the end of their life, people will die and then climb up the stairway they built and walk right into heaven!

“Who goes to heaven?” is directly the opposite of the human answer.

While stairway building is quite fashionable down here, it might be good to get an opinion from the One to whom both heaven and earth belong. Interestingly, the God response to the question, “Who goes to heaven?” is directly the opposite of the human answer. God squashes our bold creativity with a rather unflattering, “You won’t get here if you try to do it on your own.” We surely don’t like being told we are hopelessly helpless, but that is exactly what God says when it comes to our getting to him when we die.

The story of the Bible is a story of God rescuing human beings from our self-destructive delusion that we can live life without him. That rescue mission is both so fantastically and totally supernatural – the only way we benefit from it is to receive it by faith. And that is why Christians say, “Forgiven people go to heaven.”

If you’ve been feeling like your stairway to heaven is progressing at a snail’s pace, consider Christ’s offer. When it comes to getting to God, believing beats doing hands down.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you are my harbor of safety in the storms of life, my rock that I cling to for salvation, and my Redeemer who alone can save me from destruction. Take notice of my need, and reach out your hand to save me from my hurts and afflicts. Do not let my trouble overwhelm me. Strengthen and encourage me, save and deliver me, and cleanse me from sin.

Amen.