“For
God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” - 1 Thessalonians
4:7
Our
relationship with God or the world depends upon our faith in Jesus Christ. The
depth of these relationships varies with how real our relationship is with
Christ. If we are faithful to our calling and election, we will live in the pursuit of holiness. If we trust in the Lord with our whole heart, we do not rely on our human reasoning and we submit to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit in everything we say and do. As a result, God smoothes out the bumps in the road ahead of us and we see the spiritual fruit of our labor (Romans 8:28). We only die once, physically, because our spirit is already Born Again through faith in Christ Jesus (Proverbs 3:5-6; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:6,14). Our eternal destination is Heaven.
If we have a shallow, rocky or thorny relationship with Christ, then we
will live for the world and pursue ungodly pleasures and reap destruction. If
we chase carnal, fleshly gratification in the world, we harvest putrification
and death both physically and spiritually. Most people in this world value
their desires, material possessions, accomplishments, relationships and
individual achievement more highly than their personal salvation. These people
not only die physically, but they also die the second death of eternal
damnation and end up in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
The
important things in life will extend into eternity. Embrace the world to come,
rather than the lures of the world we live in now. Bring an eternal perspective
back into the focus of your life at this very moment. There may be many things
to radically rearrange. Your priorities, values, concepts, goals and outlook on
life may have to change. Turn your attention away from the busyness of life to
what really matters. People in today's fast-paced culture do not stop long
enough to contemplate the significant questions of life.
Look
at the big picture. Our life on earth is a vapor of breath when compared to
eternal life. God made us as eternal beings. We will live forever either in
heaven or in hell. Keep this in perspective when you make your decisions from
now on. There are no easy solutions to the problems we face in today’s society.
There are more and more issues that we find it hard to fathom and to accept.
Wickedness and deprivation are rampant and the hardships and anguish around us
in the world are fatal.
People
are the only part of our life here on earth that will enter eternity with us.
Christians tend to value family, neighbors, workmates and associates as more
important than non-Christians do. We consider their ultimate destiny and we do
what we can to influence them to give God’s Truth a chance to come to dwell in
their hearts as well. Physical death is the finale for every person on earth.
Deciding to believe in and surrender our life to Christ is the only choice that
will guarantee that we spend eternity in heaven (Ecclesiastes 7:2).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when we compare our life to the wicked, it feels like we are spending our time in worthless pursuits. It appears that they gain so much more than we do as we retain Godly morals, goals and value. Many of them have a much better life here on earth than we do (Psalm 73:13). However, when we come into Your presence through worship and thanksgiving for what You provide, we realize without any doubt that no earthly treasure or blessing could ever compare to the joys You set before us (Psalm 73:16-17).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when we compare our life to the wicked, it feels like we are spending our time in worthless pursuits. It appears that they gain so much more than we do as we retain Godly morals, goals and value. Many of them have a much better life here on earth than we do (Psalm 73:13). However, when we come into Your presence through worship and thanksgiving for what You provide, we realize without any doubt that no earthly treasure or blessing could ever compare to the joys You set before us (Psalm 73:16-17).
Thought for the Day:
Your choices on earth determine your eternal destiny.
