Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with gory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls,

I Peter 1:8-9, ESV

Consider two scenarios. The first is you have a dream of being a doctor someday. You have always admired doctors and think that it would be nice to have a profession in which you were able to help a lot of people. You have seen the good things that doctors can do, from helping people get well, to easing their suffering, and you think that it would be wonderful someday to be in such a position to help people. But, that's about as far as you go.

In the second situation, you also have a dream of being a doctor. You have always admired doctors and think that it would be nice to have a profession in which you were able to help a lot of people. You have seen the good things that doctors can do, from helping people to get well to easing suffering and you think that it would be wonderful someday to be in such a position to help people. So, you begin to look into what it would take to be a doctor.

You then take a test to see if you have what it takes to be admitted to medical school. You are delighted to find out that you do have the basic knowledge needed to pursue such training so you immediately take courses in pre-med. Upon completing this part, you take more tests and start applying at different medical schools. It takes more time and effort than you could have imagined, but eventually you are accepted into med school and you begin the long journey and hard work required to complete this part of your training.

Then it's on to the next stage where you actually begin an internship that provides you with the last part of your training. 12 years later, after pre-med, medical school and interning, you finally have the opportunity to become a full-fledged doctor, should you choose to do so.

Here is the question: Taking both scenarios into account, which one do you think will allow you to achieve your goal of becoming a doctor? The question is silly, right? It is obvious that only one scenario can possibly result in your achieving your dream. 

Why is that? Isn't because that to do the work of a doctor you first have to put the effort into becoming a doctor? The answer is so obvious, but isn't it the same when we talk about being with God in Heaven someday? Many will bristle at this comparison, but consider the following scenarios:

In one, you have heard about Heaven and you would like to go someday, but that is where your thoughts begin and end. In the other scenario, you realize that being a servant of God is a wonderful thing and so you make preparations to become a worthy servant. You find out what God requires to become a Christian, and you do it. You love your fellow man so you start helping them when you are able, easing their burdens when you are able, and encouraging them when they are suffering.

You realize full well that it is still by grace that you will be saved, but your longing is to be a servant of God for all eternity, so you start your service now.

In which case do you think you are most likely to receive the goal of your faith - the salvation of your soul?