Heaven’s Degree

As I washed my dirty plates one Saturday morning, a thought struck me as to where I would spend eternity and how I would answer to God after I pass on from this earth. I actually could not answer because I realized my whole life was based on education and gaining degrees upon degrees, working, making money and being comfortable in life. I didn’t think about my God ordained assignment and how I was going to carry it out and be answerable to God one day. Then I asked myself, that after achieving these feats, what else? Will God demand from me the number of degrees I made on earth and height I attend in my education? Was that the specification God gave mankind to enable us enter into heaven? Then I realized that many of us are just like me. All we think about is school, our jobs, money and our comfort here on earth but we care less about the treasures we are laying up in heaven and the account we are going to give to our maker, one day when this body no longer responds to any call. This has gone to the extent that, even in our society, people who have a good educational background look down on those who do not have; treating them like nonentities and disregarding them as if heaven needs our degrees to make us partakers of the glorious reign of Christ Jesus. I’m sorry but if this is our thought, then we would have to reconsider a few things. Now I am not saying these things are not good in themselves; of course they are and that is the dispensation we’re in now but that should not be our ultimate. Let us think about where we will spend eternity and the account we will be giving to God should we one day die. What answer will we give God when He asks us to brief him on how we served and pulled people into His fold? Sure we may have our first, second and doctorate degrees but how many people have we genuinely loved as God loved us? It is not by works that we are saved but by the faith that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ and to this, the Bible attests in several chapters, especially in Ephesians 2: 8-9 (King James Version). It says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. Now that is the degree that will qualify us to heaven one day. Of course we can raise a whole building for charity, feed people and clothe them, and do greater works, change our world with the wide knowledge we have acquired with our numerous degrees and certificates but without being saved, without grace through faith, it is a pity, we are not qualified. If it was indeed by works,  can we even imagine what the poor, the weak, the sick, among others would do. Nothing! We all certainly agree with this.  We must get to know God the way that works for us; each and every individual. In the words of Joyce Meyer, a Christian author and speaker, she says, “don’t think your relationship with God has to look like someone else’s”.  Let us serve Him the best way we can. Know Him the best way we can and the way He feels real to us; each and every individual.  Let us make him our ultimate and priority. Let us seek His face and in addition to our degrees, He will show us how to impact our generation with it; in a way that wins souls over to Him. So we may not find ourselves wanting on that great judgement day, I pray that the Holy Spirit of God convicts us and leads us in His glorious light to diligently serve Him in all wisdom and understanding in these things, in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.