Do You Want Heaven… or Do You Just Not Want Hell?

📖 Scripture

“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
— John 17:3

🌿 Hook

You know the routine I'm talking about.

Sunday morning comes.

You wake up.

You're not necessarily dreading church.

But you're not exactly excited either.

You get out of bed and begin getting ready almost methodically.

Shower.

Clothes.

Hair.

Coffee.

You move through the motions without much thought or anticipation.

And somewhere in the back of your mind, you may even remind yourself:

It's only an hour.

Then I can do whatever I want.

And oddly enough, that thought gives you a little energy.

You pull into the parking lot.

Walk through the doors.

Smile.

"Good morning!"

"How are you?"

"Doing great!"

Maybe you even look excited to be there.

And perhaps part of you is.

The music begins.

You sing.

You sit.

You listen.

But somewhere in the middle of the message, your mind begins to wander.

You glance at your watch.

Then quickly look away because you don't want anyone to notice.

Fifteen more minutes.

Your stomach growls.

You start thinking about lunch.

Mexican?

Barbecue?

Maybe that new place everyone has been talking about.

Before you know it, you are mentally halfway through your afternoon while your body is still sitting in the sanctuary.

And then I had a thought that made me uncomfortable.

Maybe it will make you uncomfortable too.

Things and time that belong to God… we sometimes can't wait to get over with so we can get back to us.

Read that again.

We can't wait for the sermon to end.

Can't wait for the prayer to finish.

Can't wait for the worship music to stop.

Can't wait to leave God's house…

So we can get back to our plans.

Our lunch.

Our errands.

Our television.

Our phones.

Our naps.

Our lives.

And that led me to a question I almost didn't want to ask myself.

If I don't enjoy worshiping God here… why am I so excited about Heaven?

❤️ Heart

Seriously.

Why do I want to go?

Do I want Heaven because I love God?

Or do I want Heaven because I don't want Hell?

Those are two very different desires.

We talk about Heaven like it's the ultimate retirement destination.

No pain.

No sickness.

No tears.

No death.

And yes, Scripture promises those beautiful things.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...”
— Revelation 21:4

But Heaven isn't beautiful simply because pain is absent.

Heaven is beautiful because God is there.

“Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them.”
— Revelation 21:3

God is the treasure.

His presence is the promise.

Eternity is not simply an escape from suffering.

It is life completely and eternally in the presence of the One who created us, loved us, pursued us, redeemed us, and saved us.

And that made me ask myself another hard question.

Do I actually enjoy God?

Not what He gives me.

Not the prayers He answers.

Not the blessings.

Not the protection.

Not the promise of Heaven.

God.

Do I enjoy sitting with Him?

Do I want to know Him?

Do I hunger for His Word?

Do I worship because I love Him… or because the song is good?

Do I go to church expecting to encounter Him… or because Sunday morning church is simply what Christians do?

Please hear my heart.

This isn't condemnation.

I'm not telling you that looking at your watch during church means you aren't saved.

I'm not telling you that getting excited about lunch means you don't love Jesus.

I've done these things too.

That's why I'm writing this.

Because sometimes we need to examine the posture of our hearts.

David wrote:

“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord...”
— Psalm 27:4

One thing.

David wanted God.

And I wonder if somewhere along the way, some of us became more interested in being saved by God than knowing God.

We want His rescue.

We want His provision.

We want His forgiveness.

We want His Heaven.

But do we want Him?

Jesus prayed:

“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
— John 17:3

Maybe eternal life doesn't simply begin when we die.

Maybe knowing Him begins now.

Today.

In the sanctuary when the sermon runs longer than we expected.

In the quiet morning when we open our Bible.

In the car when no one would know whether we worshiped or not.

In the five extra minutes we could spend scrolling… but instead choose to sit with Him.

What if Sunday morning stopped being something we had to get through?

What if we walked through the doors thinking:

God, I came to meet with You.

What if we worshiped like we were practicing the posture of our eternity?

What if we stopped counting the minutes we were giving God…

And started realizing how blessed we are to have another minute in His presence?

I don't know about you, but I don't want to simply want Heaven because I fear Hell.

I want to want Heaven because I love my Savior.

I want to know Him so deeply here that eternity with Him feels like the fulfillment of a relationship I've spent my life building.

✨ Takeaway

Heaven is not simply the absence of pain.

It is the uninterrupted presence of God.

And perhaps the greatest preparation for eternity isn't learning more about Heaven.

It's learning to love the One who is there.

God doesn't only want to be the One who saves us from Hell.

He wants to be known.

Loved.

Enjoyed.

Wanted.

🌱 Action Step

Before church this Sunday, pause before you walk through the doors.

Don't ask:

"How long will service be?"

Don't think about lunch.

Don't think about the rest of your day.

Simply pray:

"God, I came to meet with You."

Then worship intentionally.

Listen expectantly.

Stay present.

And throughout the week, spend five extra minutes with God—not asking Him for anything.

Just be with Him.

🙏 Prayer

Lord, search my heart. Forgive me for the times I have wanted Your blessings more than I wanted You. Teach me to enjoy Your presence, hunger for Your Word, and worship You because I love You. I don't want to simply know about You. I want to know You. Create in me a heart that longs to be with You—not only in eternity, but today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

💬 Reflection Question

If Heaven offered me nothing except the eternal presence of God…

Would I still desperately want to go?

And if my answer is yes…

Does the way I seek Him today reflect that desire?

🤍 If this devotional made you stop and examine your heart, share it with someone who may need to ask the same question:

Do I want Heaven… or do I simply not want Hell?