The changes made in technology in my lifetime continue to amaze me. Take the telephone. In the house where I grew up we had one telephone. It was attached to the wall with a cord, and had a rotary dial. Until I was about 12 it was a “party line.” And until I was 16 the cord on the phone was three feet long. That restricted any private conversations.
Today we not only have cell phones, but smart phones. With one you can make calls, text, send and receive emails, surf the net and pay your bills. You can even watch television and set your home alarm system.
Speaking of television, I grew up watching a nineteen inch, black and white model that picked up three channels that could only be changed by getting out of your chair, walking across the room, and turning the dial. Today I have a 46-inch HD television, and I don’t even know how many channels are available to me.
And here’s the kicker. People like me often refer to those times past as, “the good old days.” Talk about revisionist history. We didn’t have air conditioning in either our home or car. Long distance phone calls were expensive. And we haven’t even spoken about the advances in medicine which benefit us all.
I know that life was simpler back then, but I’m not sure they qualify fully as “the good old days.” In fact, I am convinced that the best is yet to come.
No, I’m not arguing that life as we know it is getting better in every way. You can make a strong argument that much of our social and moral ways have deteriorated, and will continue to do so. But I still say the best is yet to come.
Here’s what I mean. When I was a boy, on special occasions, as we began to clean up the table after a meal, my mom would say, “Keep your fork.” That only meant one thing. She had made dessert. It might be peach cobbler, banana pudding, or chocolate cake. Didn’t matter. It was always good.
As we approach the end of life in this world, I believe God says to us, “Keep your fork.” The promise of Heaven and eternal life is something better than mom’s banana pudding. I am more convinced today than ever that Heaven is a real place, and that it will be the greatest experience we have ever had. Jesus said, “I’m going to prepare a place for you.” I will simply admit it. I believe He was telling the truth.
I’m looking more forward to Heaven today than I was ten years ago. I hope you are, too. And I hope that you are ready for the trip. The Bible teaches that faith in Christ is the ticket that gets you there.
I’ve got my ticket. There’s one available to you. Will you take it?