Riches in Heaven

I have a friend who is very bitter towards God. He may not admit it, but it is obviously so. Why is he bitter? Because he looks at the blessings which God has given others and cannot understand why God would not also give him those same blessings.

I admit this friend's life is tough. There are a lot of blessings that most of us possess that he has never experienced. To say it is all his own fault is to turn a blind eye to one's own sinfulness. None of us deserve these blessings, but they have been given to us anyway.

So why has this friend not been blessed in ways that most of us have been? I have no answer for that.

But I do know people who's struggles have far outweighed his own, and yet they did not become bitter. Besides the obvious person from the Bible (Job) I have known people personally. I have known people who have lost friends, jobs, spouses, children. People who have served the Lord in full time ministry their entire lives, and have also struggled financially their whole lives because of it. People who have had their own health taken from them, and yet still cling to God's promises. What do they understand that this other friend does not seem to?

I believe it can be boiled down to one thing--they understand that this world is fleeting. They have little desire for the things of this earth. They know that to compare our earthly blessings is meaningless. Why squabble over how many pennies we each have when we stand to inherit the riches of heaven?

When we see glory it will no longer matter who had the nicer house, or the most friends, or who was healthier, who had the best spouse or the smartest children. It will not matter who had the more fulfilling job, or who got to travel the world, or who had the most money in his retirement fund. To those of us who believe, every desire of our hearts will be satisfied. The married person and the single person will both experience love to the fullest, the wealthy person and the poor person will both walk the streets of gold, the sick person and the healthy person will be made whole. The differences we had on earth will amount to practically nothing.

And perhaps it is those believers who seemingly have been blessed so little on earth who actually have a unique blessing. For if, as John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him," then who among us stands to glorify God the most with their lives? I would say it is those of us who seemingly have nothing BUT God.

So I would say to this friend, and to you all, and to myself--do not get caught up in comparison. Do not look at what you have; do not look at what others have. Focus your eyes on heaven. Whether we have a lot, or whether we have a little, it should not keep us from looking above. "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 (ESV).