Awesome Responsibilities

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  -- Matthew 18:18

I'm going to be sharing for an unknown number of blogs here in the days to come some incredible responsibilities that we, as Christians, hold.  When we think of them they might give us serious pause to think what we are doing in our lives and relationships.  The first one is this verse from Matthew 18.  I had a discussion this morning with someone whether there even is a heaven.  I guess if you're one who buys into the absence of heaven and hell, then this verse probably doesn't mean much and you can go on your merry way doing whatever it is you do.

I acknowledge that in the time of the Old Testament and even in the time of the New Testament, heaven was conceived of as a place that was located as "up there."  Just because we can now point "up there" and scientifically know it is space and planets and galaxies does not necessarily rescind that heaven exists.  Just because we point to a location does not mean it is necessarily in that direction.  I have this experience all the time walking into a mall and then trying to point for someone in what direction my car is parked! I think of heaven as an other-worldly dimension that has no physical geographical location in this space dimension.  Heaven is in a place outside of the dimension we live within while alive, but it is surrounding us all the time and is just there behind a very thin curtain.  "Surrounded by a cloud of witnesses," is a meaningful phrase that denotes this nearness!


So, assuming with faith that heaven is there... what we bind/loose on earth we bind/loose in heaven.  That is a terribly frightful responsibility.  What do you bind to yourself?  In olden days before Samsonite luggage, if you took a trip you wrapped your belongings that you were taking with you around your neck in a small bag or cloth.  What is it you bind to your heart as you set out for your day?  What kind of attitudes and principles do you take with you as you move through your day?  What are your most important standards?  Are they ones you would like to see lived out in heaven?  Is it time to change your ways?