Is Heaven Really Better than "Infinity War?"

I had just returned from our Spring Break service trip when I fired up my computer. I had been mostly offline, save for a few e-mails and seminary things, and now I was returning to the world. And when I chose to peruse YouTube for a minute just to relax; I saw it. The video I had been waiting for. The new Avengers: Infinity War trailer had dropped. And I lost the next half hour to it.

I spent the next few days watching response videos, combing the interwebs for easter eggs, trying to find any juicy details that had not yet been discovered. As a superhero movie fan, and an even bigger fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I was hooked.

What came next was an odd thought: what if I die before it comes out? Or what if, for some reason, I don't get to see it? And then, came a prayer: “Lord, please let me see Infinity War before I die.”

Now, to be clear, I didn't verbalize this; I thought it. To the Lord. And then, I disregarded it for a while. But as we've been studying Exodus for a conference in May, I realized something about my prayer. I often live in two categories. Have a comfortable life, or an uncomfortable life. But there's a third life. A free life. One where I live in light of the fact that the shackles of death have been broken.

In Exodus 12, we see that God has conquered Pharaoh. He has plundered the Egyptians. And he has set the Israelites free. But there's one catch: they must leave in haste. No waiting. Just go. You're free to go and sacrifice to the Lord. Now go.

Of course, they go, only to encounter Pharaoh one last time, and again, God brings them to freedom. But how does that apply to us? We aren't enslaved to Pharaoh or Egypt. Is there anything we are enslaved to?

The answer should be simple: sin and death. Let's focus on the latter part of this, death. Now, this doesn't just mean death in the sense of when we die. It means we live in a fallen world. We live where all good things of God's creation have been corrupted. Suffering, oppression, racism, sickness, evil, it all exists here. And Heaven is where none of that will exist. In fact, in Revelation, God promises that He will wipe away every tear. So... wouldn't Heaven, where perfection will reign and we'll be face to face with the God who loves us, be better than anything this world has to offer? 

Now...that's not to say Infinity War shouldn't be watched – I'll be honest, Lord willing, I'm going to see that movie at least twice in theaters. It's the movie event of my lifetime. And I'll enjoy it thoroughly... unless the Russo brothers, the film's directors, completely botch it. (I highly doubt it)  But, if I never get to see it, will I ultimately miss out? If it's a choice between Infinity War, and Heaven, wouldn't the answer be obvious?

The point isn't that I necessarily have to choose between the two. Rather, the prayer reveals the heart. Most days, I don't think I value the promise of a life spent with Jesus face to face, without suffering, with eternal joy, more than other things. It shows in how often I make the choice to not share my faith, to not pray and spend time with God, and pray prayers like, “please don't take me before...” That's not to say we can't be excited for the events in our lives. Movies are fun. Sporting events are a blast. And beautiful things, like marriage, and the birth of a child, or a monumental birthday, are all great things that God lets us enjoy.

Let us cultivate a heart that longs even more for the great pleasures that are before God Almighty.

Are We Lambs Being Led to Slaughter?

Author's Note: This post has to do with some pretty deep hurts in my life. I talk about people who have left me over the years. If you are reading this, and the Spirit brings to mind that you might be one of those people, please rest assured that I forgive you, and that more importantly Jesus forgives you. And would you forgive me if I have sinned in any way that I have missed?

The first time I encountered Christian community, I was baffled by how sweet it was. People loved me because they loved me. People wanted to get to know me. They didn't care how weird I was or how much I annoyed them. They just wanted me to be there. When I finally became a Christian, one of the thoughts I had was, “I have the best friends ever, and nothing will ever break us apart.”

Fast forward about a dozen years, and the illusion is shattered. While I keep in touch with some of the people from that first group of friends, some of us don't talk much. Others don't like the ministry I work with. Others I don't talk with at all. And it seems that's been the case wherever I've gone. I meet people who genuinely love Jesus, or want to engage Him and seek Him. And I make some great friends. And I lose some along the way.

This isn't a knock on those friends. This isn't a hit piece. Rather, it's insight into a wounded and hurt soul, trying to wrestle with the emotions and understand. You see, my greatest struggle is being abandoned. It's been a theme in my life, one that is often a faulty core belief. It's tied into a line of thinking that goes like this:

“Why do people keep leaving me? Have I done something wrong? Is there something fundamentally wrong with who I am? With what I've aligned myself with? There must be something wrong if everyone keeps leaving. I must be unworthy. Who could love me? How could God love me? He also probably looks at me and is ready to walk out too.”

The people in the Roman church once struggled with similar feelings. In Paul's letter to the Roman Church, he asks them a thought-provoking question: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

He follows it up with another question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” After that, he lists about every fear possible. Every enemy, condition, or circumstance that could get in the way of Christ's love, followed by a quote from Psalm 44 which says:

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

If you look further into the psalm he quotes, you see more insight into the attitude of the psalmist.

“You have rejected us and disgraced us...”

“You have made us the taunt of our neighbors...”

“You have broken us in the place of jackels and covered us with the shadow of death.”

“Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!”

Do you see what's happening? Paul quotes this psalm to a church who has a similar story to mine, and a similar story to the psalmist.

“Why are we suffering? Why are we experiencing conflict? Hatred? Famine? Persecution? Execution? Have you abandoned us? Are we just sheep being led to slaughter?!”

NO! In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. And he finishes by saying no power, no entity, nothing on earth or in the heavens can separate us from Christ if we have placed our faith in Him. This is incredible. Do you see how this intersects with my story?

“Why is everyone walking out on me? God are you going to walk ou...”

“NO! JESUS DIED ON YOUR BEHALF! I'm not going anywhere! You are my son, you will never be separated from me, and because of this you are more than a conqueror! And there is nothing that will change that!”

So, Christian. Are we lambs being led to slaughter? Maybe in this life. Maybe we have a life of sorrows. Maybe we experience friends leaving after friends leaving. Maybe we experience legitimate persecution. Maybe we experience extreme loss, or extreme shame. But that is never evidence that God has left us. Jesus is proof of this. So hold claim to the author of our faith, and the giver of Life.

Live in the Father's Presence

I pulled in front of an 18 wheeler with a small concern. My car had been randomly cutting out on me, and I would lose control of the steering and my car would stall. It happened two or three times already, and I was taking it to another mechanic to figure out what exactly was wrong. As I went to turn into the mechanic, I tried turning the wheel only to find it was nearly impossible to turn.

“Uh-oh.” I thought.

Thankfully, I was able to pull into the mechanic, my car stopping right in back of another car in the small shop's parking lot. Out of habit, I went in, dropped my keys off, and then started walking home (The mechanic was probably a mile away, so not that far of a walk) when I realized something.

God just happened to allow my car to make it to just the right location, at the right time, so that I would be protected.

Now, for a moment I reasoned with myself. “Come on, Zack. You think that God is in control of every detail of your life?'

Yes I do. And if the God I believe in is true, He absolutely got me to my mechanic safely, rather than being pummeled by an 18 wheeler. How good is our God? A few seconds earlier, at best I'm going to the hospital, and at worst, my wife is a widow.

It's a humble reminder that every detail of my life is in view of our heavenly Father. My thoughts. My words. My actions. My schedule. My work. My rest. My relationships. And most of the time, I live as if He isn't there. Much like getting out of the car and acting like nothing happened, I routinely live life as if it isn't miraculous that God is supporting the very breath that I breathe.

And because of Jesus, I know that the very fact that God is with me always brings such peace. Why, oh why, do I forget?

It's moments like these that remind me to praise God and worship Him throughout the day, knowing that each moment is in His view, and within His control. He is with me both in the good moments, and He stands by me in hard moments. He hears me when I speak to Him, and He knows me when I seek to hide from Him. He is with me as I live, and He will carry me home when I die. Oh would the comforting love of Jesus remind me that God is forever for me, and would it remind me to live life in light of His presence, always.