If there were no heaven....

[A.W. Bowman]

Originally Posted by OneAccord

...promised to us in the Bible. If the Bible never mentioned hell. If God never promised walls of Jasper, gates of pearl or a street of Gold. If the Bible never mentioned a lake of fire or "hellfire and damnation". If at the end of this life there was nothing but death. No afterlife. None.

If... Would we still serve God if there was no heaven to gain? Would we live like the devil if there was no hell to shun?

Are we following Him for the loaves and fishes He gives? Do we follow Him for His promises, or out of sheer love for His gift of salvation provided for us at Calvary?

Are we just followers of Jesus, or are we really His disciples?

Just musing...

I love it! Thank you!

God is. Jesus is His anointed one, because none of the rest of us measure up. Everything else is commentary, so go study.

As Job once said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him." (Job 13:15, KJV)

Then the question remains, "Are we believers, who seek after Christ until He stops providing for our wants and needs, are we followers of Him until the the price gets a little high and persecution comes knocking at our door, or are we disciples who will give that last measure of love for the sake of His testament?"

I love this:
Lord Jesus, I am going to obey You and love You and serve You, and do what You want me to do as long as I live, even if I go to hell at the end of the road, simply because You are worthy to be loved, obeyed and served. And, I am not trying to make a deal with You.

It is the difference between trying to get something out of God (humanism), rather than allowing God to get something out of me (consecrated life). The prime product of my relationship with God is solely for His glory. The byproduct of that relationship is the blessing(s) I receive in return. But, what if I should not receive any blessings in this life, like so many of the early Christan martyrs? Have I then been cheated out of my reward by God? No! For I am not the one who is worthy.

God does not exist for my happiness and well being, but rather it is I who exist for God's own good pleasure and purpose.

Does anyone see the difference?