"What we do in life echoes in eternity" - Maximus
What if we really believed that? What if that really changed what you were doing right now? How would your life look? So often, myself included, I think we get in grooves, in habits and tracks of life that are hard to step out of. Complacency and Apathy take over as we surround less and less of our time with wheat that can burn rather than precious stones. Every Christian I know has a pretty good head knowledge that what they do in this life will echo in eternity, but it stops there. Our tendency all too often is to stop at forgiveness and not move on to be a victorious soldier through the Holy Spirit beating back the enemy and rescuing the captives. And the reason is our contentment with where our lives are. We are content with our daily job, we are content with doing monotonous school work all day, we are content with spending more time on facebook and twitter and other forms of technology, than out with people, we are more content with passing by strangers in timidity, than to engage them about the things that really matter. This movie quote needs to be taken from our mind to our heart (and then to our arms and legs). What we are doing in this life, echoes in eternity! The precious stones that make it through the fire determine the crowns we lay at Jesus' feet in Heaven, and ultimately affect the extent we experience eternity.
You've probably all seen it or heard about it by now, the trucks and rv's that explain the end of the world is coming. Now, as fun as it is to try and prove them wrong and make fun of them when May 22nd rolls around, it does get me thinking. What if God did return on May 21st? Are you living how you would want to live for Him right now? Even better, what if He returned in 5 hours? 5 minutes? Would you be doing something differently today? We can't know for sure when the day is He comes back but we are supposed to anticipate and live our lives as if it could happen at any instant. We so often find ourselves saying, "Oh it won't happen for a while, I can life in contentment for now. I'm sure after I get my life all planned, then He will come. It probably won't happen today so today I am just going to take a break from Jesus." We don't actually say that but we unconsciously think it as it lives it's way out in our daily lives.
We need to desperately think this over. The more we think about this, I'm convinced the more fulfilled our lives will be on earth and in heaven. God is looking to use people that are desperate and passionate about His causes. He's looking for people that will give up themselves to follow Him.
Going to a public graduation commencement the other day reminded me how much different the two views are. They were rewarding people who had huge 5 year plans. They were going to go work for major finance, law, and retail businesses. They were saying the goal of this life is to find love, to be happy, to dream to be at the top with your career. Those are terrible 5 year plans if you do them on your own! But that is what so many people aim to do with their lives. If God is leading you that way, then awesome you get to reach CEO's and White House attendants for His name, you get to have a an awesome wife, you get to be joyful! It's not something you attain on your own, but a gift given in life by the one who is wanting God to direct the strings of His life. It's best to plan for the future while living like this is the end of the world. Suddenly the urgency returns and we realize our self made 5 year plans don't mean anything and that the only 5 year plan is to lovingly serve our Savior and His children. It's a tremendous calling.
So as May 21st rolls around be thinking about the end of the world. What if it did happen that day, or today, or any day? Live your life as if it will. Listen to where, who, what, the Holy Spirit is calling you to. Just go out and love on people, go out and serve God's children. This isn't a time to argue pointless Biblical theologies, to judge others and place a facade on your own life that you have it all together, to live in complacency, wasting time. We don't have very much time to waste, God is calling us!
Love is urgently calling us!
"if you read history, you will find that the christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. it is since christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. aim at earth and you will get neither." (c.s. lewis)
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