Another Reason to Look Forward to Heaven

The main reason to look forward to heaven is the presence of Christ. When Jesus prayed for "His sheep," He emphasized that the highest blessing the Father could bestow on them is to bring them into His glorious presence forever: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).

Anyone who truly loves Christ needs no other motivation to long for heaven. Like the Psalmist said, “Whom have I in heaven but you?” (Psalm 73:25a)

Yet there are other reasons to look forward to heaven.

He Never Apologized

"My dad never said he was sorry. He would fly off the handle, and sometimes he hit us kids or my mom. But he never apologized.”

“My wife is a wonderful woman, but she is never wrong. It’s always someone else’s fault.”

One of the marks of maturity, especially Christian maturity, is admitting when you’re wrong, confessing when you’ve sinned, apologizing when you’ve hurt someone. And we all know people who never really apologize. Oh, they probably would claim they apologize. But their “confessions” are wrapped up in self-righteousness and pride.

Here are some examples of pseudo-apologies:

• I’m sorry if I offended you. Translation: I’m not really conceding I did anything wrong. But since you seem to be upset, I’ll say some words to shut you up.
• I’m sorry you feel offended, but I didn’t mean it. Translation: You’re overly sensitive. I did nothing wrong. What I’m sorry about is your whining.
• I’m sorry, but you know I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. Translation: I’m not responsible. Actually it’s really your fault for getting in my way when I’m so pressured.
• I’m sorry, but let me list all the ways you’ve messed up lately, and all the grievances I have against you. Translation: I’m a saint compared to you. You have no business bringing anything up to me when you're such a failure.

A real apology is an act of humility. When you or I really apologize, we’re admitting we’ve messed up, that we are sinners who can and do hurt other people, and that we’re in need of change and forgiveness.

So anyway, I was reading J. Oswald Sanders’ The Incomparable Christ, and here’s what he said about Jesus: “No word He spoke needed to be modified or withdrawn, because He never spoke inadvisedly or fell into the evil of exaggeration….He never apologized for word or action. And yet, is it not true that the ability to apologize is one of the elements of true greatness? It is the small-souled man who will not stoop to apologize. But Christ performed no action, spoke no word that required apology.”

People who are “never wrong” are insufferable, prideful, and hurtful. But Jesus never came across as a haughty jerk. He was always kind, humble, and yet holy and perfect. So He’s the only one who never needs to apologize. The rest of us need to get better at it, and the closer we get to Him, the more we will want to.