Why on Earth are we here?

I'm in the middle of a teaching series entitled "From Here to Eternity."  We are focusing on such questions as "What really happens when we die?"  "Is there really a Heaven and Hell?" etc.  This past week we looked at the question, what will Heaven really be like.  We dispelled some of the myths of Heaven being some boring place where we will sit around all day on fluffy white clouds playing the harp.  By the time we were done, we had a glimpse of Heaven that was so glorious, it virtually begged the question "Why are we still here?" 

That's a great question.  Why on Earth ARE we here?  There are days for all of us when life is hard.  Some people are out of work.  Others are under employed.  So despite working a full week, some still struggle to pay the mortgage and put food on the table.  There are some among us who are walking through heartbreaking relational or emotional struggles.  Some face serious illness in their own life, or the life of someone they love.   If we are honest, many of us have had days when we were tempted to pray "Come Lord Jesus, take me now!"

For those who are walking through a season of life that is hard, I want to remind us that life is a gift, and we are here for a purpose.  Looking at this question in broad strokes, I want to say to you that we are here for at least three reasons:
       1)  We are here to love and support one another.  Through the peaks and valleys of life, God has placed us in relationship with others so that we can help, and be helped, along the journey of life.  Some days, we may be in the valley and God will send someone along to help us through.  At other times, we will be the one to reach out and help bring someone else along.  And the experiences that we have lived through can be the foundation from which we can help others.
       2)  We are here to be a part of the work of God's Kingdom.  Every one of us has been given specific gifts from God that are to be shared as a part of the overall work of Christ.  No matter what your gifts, talents, and resources are, God has a way to use them as a part of the overall work of his Kingdom to make this world a better place for everyone.
       3)  We are here to share the hope of the Gospel.  When we think about Heaven, how glorious it will be to live eternally in the presence of God, we must stop and recognize that we have the hope of Heaven because someone cared enough to share the Good News with us.  If you think about it, it would be kind of selfish to have received such a great gift, but be unwilling to share it with others.
       Why on Earth are we still here?  Because there are people all around us that still do not know the Good News of Jesus Christ, and the hope of Heaven.  And as long as God sees fit to keep us on this Earth, we have an important (in fact, eternally significant) work to do.  We are here to make life better for one another while we are on this Earth, and we are here to share the hope of eternal life.
        God Bless,

Pastor Steve