We bought a kettle and, while it was not the cheapest, it did fit in a tiny gap in our kitchen. Just before the end of the warrantee period, however, it stopped producing boiling water. I called customer services and had a great first encounter where they led me to believe that they would resolve my issue with a replacement kettle.

I called them back a few times – to be told that the kettle was still out of stock; once they had one they’d send it out to me.

Five months after that initial encounter I contacted them again. They apologised – a message telling me they were never going to get replacement stock had been sent to me: it never arrived.

I chose a different replacement and they sent it – it arrived a few days later.

My first encounter was great. I felt valued, appreciated and trusted that that was enough.

It wasn’t.

Heavenward bound?

There are many people who think they are going to heaven. Some will, some won’t – going to church isn’t enough; feelings won’t save us; an encounter with Jesus Christ – or His Holy Spirit – won’t save us.

The bible tells us that there is only one way to get to heaven, and that is by beginning an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ and by believing that Jesus died on the cross for the things we have done wrong, and that He rose again 3 days later. That is non-negotiable.

If you wish to spend your eternity in heaven there are two actions required to make that happen.

Firstly, God’s ‘action’ is that He sent His Son to live on Earth, die on a cross for us and suffer for the things we have done wrong – in order that we can have a relationship with God, and make heaven our eternal destination.

Jesus died so, literally, we don’t have to. His death and resurrection (coming back to life) opened the door to heaven, making heaven a possibility for us in a way that we will never achieve by ourselves.

Our ‘action’ is that, after an encounter with Jesus Christ, we begin a relationship where we seek to become more like Jesus. This means surrendering who we are to Jesus, and it means that we must repent: the word ‘repent’ is not a religious word, but a Roman Military Term meaning to immediately turn around, and go in the opposite direction.

Heavenward bound!

If heaven is your destination, then an encounter with Jesus is not enough! Just as my initial encounter with that customer service department wasn’t enough, there is more needed than to be done other than just an encounter: something needs to change.

If you want to go to heaven you must surrender who you are, in order that you can be given something of eternal value in an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Meeting Jesus is good. Being transformed by Him is much better.

Andy B