  "Do you believe in heaven or is it just something rich people invented so that poor people wouldn't rebel? " Dave Hughes, urlLink The Glasshouse , June 4 "When you fully comprehend that there is more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just preparation for eternity, you will begin to live differently. You will start living in the light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task and circumstance. Suddenly many activities, goals and even problems that seemed so important will appear trivial, petty and unworthy of your attention. The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears. " (Rick Warren) Back in 1984 I did some training with urlLink Evangelism Explosion International . In teams of 3 we asked people two diagnostic questions: 1. If you were to die today, do you know for sure you would go to be with God in heaven? 2. If God were to ask you, "Why should I let you into My Heaven? " what would you say? For some people we contacted, these were timely questions. They had spent the last few of their seventy years wondering about the after life. But for many people, heaven was not on the radar.
Many people didn't have a concept of heaven or hell. It was a reflection of the secularised society we were living in (New Zealand). One young student I worked with turned up one day to say he was giving Christian faith away. He had been motivated to follow Christ by a fear of going to hell. He couldn't continue to live a life with that kind of motivation. Try as he might, he couldn't cotton on to the idea that God loved him - it didn't gel with the attitude of the youth leader who had badgered him into the kingdom.
It gets me thinking. Is the crux of Christian faith an assurance that we will be with God in heaven forever when we die, based on faith in God's grace shown in Christ's death on the cross? Or is that the icing on the cake? I have a personal assurance that I don't have to worry about my eternal destiny.
I know that nothing I can do or say can make God love me more or less. I totally trust in the free offer of life in Jesus Christ. But my heart is on living this life God has called me to, right here, right now. I want to live a life of integrity - one that is growing to look more and more like the life I profess to live. I certainly hope there is a life after death. I am encouraged by the hope that I may again see my daughter who died at 18 months.
But at the same time, I don't think I can ever bring to life the past. What is gone is gone. The future is in God's hands. Rick Warren's question to consider: "Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today? " Well, I think I'd stop using the word "should", and start developing a sense of God's call each day, as opposed to the drive to be "successful". 
