Life in Light of Eternity
Luke 12:13-21; Philippians 1:21-26
An old hymn has a stanza, “This world is not my home, I’m just’a passing through.” It has a catchy tune, and I sometimes catch myself humming or singing the song to myself. It’s best sung when down in the dumps with the intention of being lifted up to glory!
Yet, I also have a problem with my motivation for the song. Do I really just want to escape my troubles? Do I allow myself the luxury of an attitude of “why bother” when, after all, heaven is really what it’s all about? God forbid that we think heaven and the hereafter is primarily for getting out of the way of life’s problems!
The passages today are wonderful contrasts of two totally different perspectives about our lives as Christ followers in the here and now. The Luke passage offers Jesus’ parable of the rich fool who believed and therefore lived as if eternity didn’t matter. Possessions defined his worldview, comfort and personal security.
On the other hand, in Paul’s admonition to the church at Philippi, he stressed most certainly that in the death of a saint, heaven is to be gained, but – just as important – to live is to offer Christ the opportunity to glorify the Father through His children.
God’s Word in the Old Testament offers a strikingly similar situation of an individual who was living for today without regard for tomorrow.
In the book of Daniel, chapter 5, King Belshazzar was enjoying himself at the expense of the Most High God by hosting a party and using the temple plates and artifacts stolen by Nebuchadnezzar when he pillaged and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. God spoke to Belshazzar with a “hand writing on the wall,” telling him that eternity was just around the corner. Sure enough, chapter 5 (v. 30) reports “that very night” the king was killed. God’s Word is quite clear that our lives today will be reflected in our eternal home.
Does it matter how a Christian lives? In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he makes the point that “to live is Christ.” Being a Christian means that Christ is with you always. Whether in the good times or in difficult days, the presence of God in the Holy Spirit is with the believer constantly and consistently. There is never a time God is not concerned, and there is never a moment when God is not caring about what is going on in your life.
Living in the light of eternity means that the God of tomorrow’s heaven is present with you on the pathways wherever you may be today.
Jim Motes– Lessons by Jim Motes, associate professor of Christian ministry in the College of Christian Studies at Anderson University. He is a graduate of Southeastern Seminary and Southern Wesleyan University, and is completing a doctorate at Gordon Conwell Seminary.