By Rick A. Hughes

Goals. I have goals for everything. Short-term goals. Long-term goals. Goals for each day, week, month, year, etc. Some goals I have reached and celebrated, while other goals I failed to reach and was disappointed. However, of every goal I have ever had, one goal remains the first priority far above all others: I just gotta’ make it to Heaven. Every other goal pales by comparison. No matter what the cost, no matter what I have to go through, nothing can top my goal of making Heaven my home!

Two simple questions put everything in perspective: What is better than Heaven? What is worse than hell? The obvious answers to the questions are ‘absolutely nothing.’ Therefore, I just gotta’ make it to Heaven. My highest priority and number one goal is to make it to Heaven. If I reach this goal, nothing else matters. If I fail to reach this goal, nothing else matters. I cannot allow anything or anyone to keep me from making Heaven. I cannot allow any issue, offense, wound or misunderstanding to hinder me from reaching Heaven.

Apostle Paul shared this same goal and wrote about it in (Philippians 3:10-14): “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” What Paul was making perfectly clear was his highest goal was to make Heaven. He said “if by any means I might attain’. In other words, he was willing to pay any price to make it!,

If Heaven is your number one goal than every other decision in life must be made with Heaven in mind. What you do today matters tomorrow! Does your lifestyle reflect your priorities? Jesus made clear Heaven must be our number one goal. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:35-37).

There is nothing better than Heaven, and nothing worse than hell. Therefore, I just gotta’ make it to Heaven. The following lyrics of an old campmeeting song from years gone by express my deepest feelings:

I wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now

Gotta make it to Heaven somehow

Though the devil tempt me and

he tried to turn me around

He’s offered everything that’s got a name

All the wealth I want and worldly fame

If I could still I wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now