IT'S JUST LIFE ON EARTH

I've been known to say (often), "It's just life on earth." What does that mean? Isn't this our one big shot at living?
And, shouldn't we make the most of it? And, what on earth am I talking about?!

I'm asking myself this question today and reflecting on what I really mean by my little motto. For starters, in our family, we definitely take our "one big shot" at this life thing very seriously. But, in the same breath, we really don't take ourselves that seriously.
Now I'm really talking in circles...or am I?

"Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven."
Matthew 6:20

When I say, "It's just life on earth," what I'm really saying is that this temporal life will come and go, but eternity will last forever, without end. Therefore, logically, eternity matters more! The Bible tells us that what we've done or haven't done while we've lived on earth will impact our forever experience. What we've believed or haven't believed will directly affect where we spend eternity.

With these truths in mind, I don't want to get too caught up in my life here on earth, which God's Word tells me is a vapor. I want to live my life in light of eternity, which God's Word says will last forever and ever and ever. I don't want to spend myself for things without eternal value (which basically accounts for almost everything the world lives for, if we take a hard and honest look at what our culture validates). To put it simply and in the words of John Piper, I don't want to waste my life!

I want to live intentionally aware that faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that really matters. And, out of genuine faith in Him springs love for Him. And, out of that love for Him we inevitably overflow with evidence of both our faith and love for Christ which results in good fruit, good works for Him, because of Him. Our works do not, by any means, save us, but they are certainly a byproduct, evidence of the infiltration of the Holy Spirit who dwells within. That's how I want to live.
I want to overflow and exude Jesus. May God help us to do so!

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

James 2:14-17

When we start to live in light of eternity, we hold more loosely our now. When we live our lives for eternity, we're more willing to take "risks" for God's glory here and now. When we live our lives for Jesus, because of Jesus, because we LOVE Jesus, we act more and more like Him in the now. Jesus LOVED, He GAVE, He SACRIFICED and I believe He was serious when He said:

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done."
Matthew 16:24-27

Indeed, this life is a vapor. It comes and it goes and when we look back on it and ask ourselves how we've lived, I'm hoping we have at least dimly reflected Christ. I'm hoping we can see Him in our existence. I'm hoping we didn't play it too safe. I'm hoping we didn't hesitate to LOVE like Him, GIVE like Him, SACRIFICE like Him. And, I'm hoping we lived it for what it really was...

 

...just life on earth.

"What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

James 4:14

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 16:31

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46

It's been a while, but I always love this classic clip:

"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"

Matthew 25:23

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 2:10

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Ephesians 2:8-9

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16