…but rather a reason to take risks
In July, Peruvians celebrate their homeland. They feel a sense of patriotism and hang their flags out the window. The highlight is July 28, the day they gained independence from Spain.
The day before yesterday, I spotted an interesting poster in front of a house in Curahuasi. Beneath the national flag, it read: “I am Peruvian, but I am going to a better homeland—namely, the heavenly homeland.” This personal statement refers to a Bible verse from the Epistle to the Hebrews: “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one to come!” (Heb. 13:14)
We Christians have been accused of allowing ourselves to be lulled into complacency by the afterlife. It is claimed that the vague hope of an afterlife robs us of the strength to work toward improving our present circumstances. But the exact opposite is true.
Our firm faith in heaven gives us the motivation to work at the Perus poorhouse, even though the risk of accidents here is ten times higher than, for example, in Germany. Our missionaries accept significant financial losses and do not cling to their comfortable homes overseas. It is our focus on the other dimension that drives us to accept hardships and disadvantages in the name of Christ’s love.
Martin Luther administered the Lord’s Supper to dying plague victims in Wittenberg and did not flee to safety outside the city. Even pagan Roman emperors were completely baffled that Christians cared for their sick neighbors during the terrible pandemics—a behavior that was so very different from that of their non-Christian compatriots.
With the prospect of heaven, followers of Jesus Christ do not live under the merciless sword of Damocles. Many agnostics and atheists live by the saying, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” It is precisely this attitude that leads to a hedonistic and self-centered lifestyle, without taking responsibility for society or people in need.
Jesus said that one day God will ask us whether we did everything we could in this life to help others (Matt. 25)
Because we have a future with God, we roll up our sleeves and get to work. /KDJ
