Unearthing Heaven: Why Tomorrow's Reward Matters Today

How would your life on earth be different if you thought about your reward in heaven more?

Christ taught often on heaven's rewards, and the early church reveled in this treasure chest of life motivation. Throughout church history, Jesus' followers have been captivated by a coming event known as "The Judgment Seat of Christ," a place of reward and honor at life's finish line which inspired them deeply.

We moderns, not so much.

Why is that? Why do we brush away heaven's rewards, seeing them as possibly selfish or even unspiritual? Or maybe we don't think about them at all, surrendering them to stale stereotypes about heaven.

Unearthing Heaven takes you on a journey to rediscover this lost treasure chest of life motivation. Mike O'Quin Jr. unpacks the two metaphors the Apostle Paul used to help us understand this Great Day, and looks into the four crowns of the New Testament, each one championing a different Kingdom value. You'll see how mediating on this glorious future event can even loosen the grip of common life struggles. Stir your imagination for the Day when you stand before Jesus and see a smile on His beaming face, hearing Him declare, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:23).

Orienting your life toward His smile is the highest-octane way to run your own race.

"We, as followers of Jesus, so often lose sight of the end of the story and get wrapped up only in the present. The Body of Christ needs to be reawakened to the unshakeable HOPE we have in Jesus. Unearthing Heaven is a needed wave of grace as Mike O'Quin shares how we can live today with both the fear of God and great hope as we imagine ourselves standing before Jesus and hearing him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" With the hope of an expected future, we all can find strength to endure the challenges and sacrifices of today in the name of Jesus." - Jimmy Seibert, author of Passion and Purpose and president of Antioch Ministries International

"The meaningful and regular consideration of one's personal evaluation by Jesus Christ is a life-changer. Other than my own personal salvation, this consideration has done more to impact my life than anything else. Mike O'Quin has done the body of Christ a huge favor in writing about the topic. Though I have considered the topic before and have read several volumes on the topic, Unearthing Heaven moved me in many new ways to strive to please my king, Jesus. I am confident you'll be blessed, as I was, in reading this book." - Dr. Bill F. Korver, President, Carolina College of Biblical Studies

Mike O'Quin Jr. is the author of Java Wake and Growing Desperate, and serves in pastoral care for an international missions organization in Southeast Asia.