Book Review: Remember Heaven

We have all felt the longing. There is an ache in all of our hearts that tells us there must be something more. We look at the world around us and the headlines that sadden or angers us, and it makes us think “there is no way it is supposed to be this way.”

Have you ever considered how the hope of heaven can ground us right now in our Christian life? Matthew McCullough’s book Remember Heaven helps us not simply long for the future, but it shows how looking to heaven today changes everything for this present moment. If you are interested, he also wrote Remembering Death, and Pastor Adam Wheaton wrote a review for it.

If you’re looking for a book that gently lifts your eyes from the heaviness of this world to the hope that awaits us, I’d encourage you to pick up Remember Heaven. It is a rich, comforting reminder that heaven is not only our future home but a present source of strength in this life. This is a book worth reading slowly, prayerfully, and with an open heart. Just to give you a little taste of what McCullough beautifully writes about, let me share a few things that encouraged me.

Heaven reframes our dissatisfaction.

McCullough begins by showing how the hope of heaven reframes our dissatisfaction in the meantime. Our society constantly tells us what we lack. “You don’t have _____”; so we begin to chase the next best thing only to find that it will still does not satisfy us. He writes, “Our relentless dissatisfaction is a lingering sign of our capacity to be truly satisfied” (25). In heaven, every good gift will finally be experienced as it should be; as fully, wonderfully, and perfectly because of God’s presence, where joy is whole and satisfaction is complete.

Looking at Psalm 16, McCullough notes that David’s joy comes from the fullness of joy David expects to experience later. So, we begin remembering heaven not by asking, “Is this all there will be?” but by confidently saying,  “I cannot wait to see what God has next.” God gives us good gifts now, but His fully everlasting presence is still ahead of us, so let us set our minds on that.

Heaven strengthens our fight for holiness.

The chapter called “Bound for Perfect Holiness: How the Hope of Heaven Empowers Our Battle with Sin in the Meantime,” is the chapter that gripped my heart the most. By the grace of God, as we grow in holiness, we also grow more sick of sin and hate the past and present sin in our lives. Scripture now calls us Saints (Ephesians 1:1), yet we still wrestle with our flesh, and we still give into sin. Maybe you often feel tired in this fight. You want to change, but fall again and again. I want you to take heart, to meditate when you step into the presence of the Holy God, you will become perfectly holy as He is holy (1 John 3:2-3). Thinking of heaven now purifies us while we wait.

This fight is not easy. Perfection isn’t attainable in this life We will not become sinless in these bodies, but by Christ’s power and by the hope of heaven we can learn to sin less.

How do we fight?

First, “Focus your mind on the one whose beauty will make you beautiful” (66).
Look upon God’s holiness. Let the anticipation of the great day when you will see Him face to face draw you toward purity.

Second, remember that you need more than resolve—you need love.
You need love for Him and to remember the love He has for you. McCullough writes, “We can’t be casual about sin if we’re clear on what our sin cost our Savior. We won’t be casual about holiness if we see how important it is to the one who loves us so well” (69)
Brothers and sisters, this fight will last our whole life until He calls us home.  But take courage, your holiness is God’s personal project. Let the hope of heaven remind you that holiness is worth it because He will one day make you new.

Thinking of heaven gives suffering meaning.

McCullough reminds us that looking towards heaven makes our suffering meaningful now. Suffering is part of the path we walk on, on our way home. We won’t all experience the same type of suffering, but none is wasted. As he beautifully puts it:  “God keeps us weak to give us the joy of trusting in Him and not ourselves… Our weakness is His strategy” (96). Our weakness deepens our thirst for heaven. Some suffering may cost us dearly, but Scripture promises an eternal weight of glory that will be revealed to us (2 Cor 4:16-18). This should not minimize the heaviness of what you may be suffering right now. But let it lift your eyes to a horizon where every wrong will be made right and every tear wiped away.

Let heaven shape your heart today.

Heaven is not only your future home, it is your present anchor. Set your mind on things above, let heaven steady your steps, soften your sorrows, and strengthen your fight for holiness.

May the hope of heaven remind you, this world is not your final home. Let thoughts of your true everlasting home, where joy is full, holiness is whole, and suffering is healed; let these thoughts reshape the way you think and walk even today.