I know that as a Christian I'm supposed to look forward to Heaven, but I can't honestly say that I do. I've been blessed with an interesting job and a wonderful wife and family, and I don't want to give it all up, at least right now. Is it wrong for me to feel this way? — W.R.

It's not wrong to enjoy the good things God gives us—as long as we don't love them more than we love Christ, and we realize they come from His hands. The Bible says "there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live" (Ecclesiastes 3:12).

But this must not keep us from looking forward to Heaven! Remember: Life may not always be this way for you (and in fact it probably won't be). You could lose your job; one of your family members could become ill; a child could become rebellious as he or she grows older; the disabilities of old age could grip you—the list is almost endless.

If this happens, will you have the spiritual resources to see you through the hard times? And will the promise of Heaven become more real to you? In other words, don't let life's good things dull your soul and turn you away from God. The Bible warns, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).

Make sure of your commitment to Christ, and then ask Him to help you put Him at the center of your life and your family. Ask Him also to help you grow closer to Him every day because the more we love Christ, the less we will love this world. Christ alone is our hope—both for this world and the world to come.