Have you ever wondered why God didn’t take us to be with Him in heaven the moment He saved us? Why did He choose to leave us in such a decaying and broken world, instead of transporting us instantly to the perfect new heaven and new earth that will be our true eternal home? According to Pastor John MacArthur: “Christians are not left in the world by accident but are placed there on divine assignment from their Lord.”1
May I suggest to you three reasons what our divine assignment from the Lord is.
We are to be evangelists for Christ
When Jesus ascended into heaven He left us here on earth to share the gospel to all creation. God wants the salvation He has given us to be experienced by all and His means of sharing the gospel is all believers. In the Great Commission in (Matthew 28:19-20) we are told: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” What an awesome privilege and responsibility to be Christ’s witnesses here on earth to a world desperately in need of good news. So, let’s get busy in doing everything we can to share Christ for that is our divine assignment.
God designed humans to live on earth
According to the website www.gotquestions.org: “God designed humans to live on earth: “The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity” (Psalm 115:16; see also Acts 17:26). The Lord made us as earthly creatures uniquely designed to live in a physical world: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (Genesis 1:28). God planted a garden and placed humankind in it. Everything about our bodies is designed to interact with the physical realm and be sustained by the rich yields of plant life and animals on the earth (Genesis 1:26, 29–30; 8:17).”2
God designed us to do good works and glorify Him in this world
A third purpose why God left us in this world is that we can spend time getting to know Jesus, built up our Christian character by going through the sufferings and trials of life, do good deeds, and most of all glorify His name. You see we are Christ’s ambassadors on planet Earth and as a result we need to get to know Him better so we can share His goodness to all the world with the hope that many will put their faith in Him for salvation. And by doing good deeds we glorify His name. Finally, as we worship Jesus here on earth, He is preparing us for the time where we will worship Him and glorify His name forever in our future eternal home – the new earth!
1 50 John MacArthur Quotes | ChristianQuotes.info
2 Why did God put us on earth instead of taking us immediately to heaven? | GotQuestions.org
Amen
Thank You Curt