Why, you may ask...Why do I want to strive to be focused on eternity instead of being known for, say, giving to the poor? Why not strive to be known as a faithful friend or known as one who loved and read God's Word?
Simply this: Your view of eternity and what happens after this life shapes everything about your life now.
When your life is centered around your next life, when you are anticipating Jesus' arrival, you give to the poor, because you're busy storing up treasures in heaven.
You love your friends, so that they'll see the way to get to heaven too.
You treasure and obey God's Word, because when you are with God and hear from God, You're getting a taste of being in His presence 24/7.
You adore the gospel and evangelize, knowing the reality that Jesus is coming back and you want your friends to be ready.
You talk nicely to your family and friends, because you know that you're going to give an account when Jesus comes back.
You serve and do the dirty work here, because you know that it's not about the comfort you can get in this life.
you are joyful in the midst of suffering and pain, because you have hope of a home in heaven where there will be no more tears.
You see? If you really believe that Jesus is coming back soon, if you really believe that you are going to spend the rest of forever in the presence of God Himself, that will change everything about you. Granted, I'm most definitely not there yet. I'm constantly getting caught up in what I can see and feel and experience. But that's why I want to make heaven my pursuit.
C.S. Lewis wrote in his book "Mere Christianity", "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely 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."
So try spending just one day thinking about heaven. Read about it in the Bible, talk about it with people, think about it all day. And let it affect the way you think and speak and live.
Lauren, this was such a good post!
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So of course, I love what you've said here. :D
ReplyDeleteI was reading Crazy Love and I came to the part that was talking about the way we'd act if we were obsessed with Jesus. One of the concepts was not trying to be "comfortable" here on earth. Anyways, it was really hard for me to take, because I'd always planned to have a great big house with a sweet car, etc...
And I realized that the reason it's so hard for me to accept that idea of not being comfortable is because I'm not focused on heaven. Francis says, "If one person invests his resources in the poor... and the other extravagantly remodels a temporary dwelling that will not last beyond his few years on this earth, who is the crazy one?"
Then I read your post. Maybe God's trying to get something across to me. ;)
Anyways, thanks for posting this!
Thank you. I needed to hear that. It's so easy (may I say especially during tournament season?) to get caught up in what is happening in my life, and focused on my goals for this life. But when we realize how incredibly minuscule our life on earth is compared to eternity in heaven, it becomes almost nonsensical to focus more on earth than on heaven.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reminding me that I can best live my life here when I am living in light of eternity.
Thanks for that Lauren! Your blog is such a blessing to visit and be reminded and refreshed by reading the encouragments that you write! God bless!
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