Living with Eternity in Mind

"'But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." -Matthew 6:20  

Our lives are so short. The Bible says the extent of our lives is like a fleeting shadow. (Ps 144:4) Even still, every life has value. And God brought you and I here for a purpose. What are we doing now that has lasting value? Everything we do has eternal purpose, if we view it as worship to God. What are we doing to create meaning, in our lives, or in the lives of others? Are we living each day with an eternal purpose in mind?
 
There was a story of a man who worked countless hours at his job. He believed in God, but his main focus was on his earthly success. He ran a very large business. When asked what people might say about him at his death he replied, "I've always known someone might ask me that question, but I am still not prepared to answer."
 
When we're young, we generally have more time to live our lives. But, when we're older, we might reminisce on what we could've done differently in our earlier years. Because our time is short, we need to use it wisely, and take thought for our intentions.

Take an inventory of your time and how you spend it. Are there areas in your life you could improve on? What can you do now that will create long-lasting value for you and others? Even by being faithful in mundane tasks and doing them as unto God we are creating meaning and purpose. What other things can we do to keep focus on heavenly rewards? Could we set more time aside for prayer and worship? Could we ask to pray for someone when they're not feeling well, or spend more time with family? Whatever it is, we need to keep in mind the things that last, "where moth and rust do not decay."

What are you doing today that will impact your tomorrow? Are you living with eternity in mind?

Measures of Love

Photo credit: http://mll4ever.deviantart.com/art/Cup-of-love-191991269

"Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” -Matthew 6:18

Have you ever thought about what heaven will be like?  I have heard many stories about people visiting heaven, and it is all very cool to think about! 

One thing I often think about is how much our actions here on earth make a difference, and what they mean in terms of eternity.  Though we don’t know for certain until we get to heaven, the Bible does say, “Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:20) and “And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as ‘foreigners in the land.’” (1 Peter 1:17)

What does this all mean?  I think it has to do with what we do with what we’ve been given.

There is a story in a book by Rick Joyner, called The Vision.  In this book, he describes a vision he is having with Jesus in heaven, and he is shown the life of a man named Angelo. 

Angelo was a homeless man, who was deaf and could not speak.  When Angelo saw a kitten on the street, it took all the willpower he had not to kick it; he instead nudged it out of the way. As a child, Angelo was abused and kept in a cold, dark attic until the authorities found him at eight years old.  He then went into a series of foster care homes, and finally, the streets.

The author was shown a vision of another man who was very zealously serving God, teaching the Bible, and praying for the sick.  However, God was more impressed with Angelo, and now that Angelo was in heaven, he was seated in a place reserved for martyrs and kings.

Jesus shared that the second man had been raised in a great family, and had gone to one of the best Bible colleges in the country, but he was only using 75 measures of the 100 portions of love the Lord had given him.  The Lord had given Angelo just 3 portions of love, and it had taken Angelo all 3 to keep from hurting the kitten. 

Eventually, Angelo learned to read from a gospel tract he had been given, and he got saved. God doubled his shares of love, and he used all of them to stop stealing food even though he often went hungry, and he earned money by selling bottles or doing yard work.  God again multiplied his love, and Angelo spent half of everything he earned to buy tracts.  Angelo finally led one other homeless person to the Lord before he died, keeping a wino warm on a cold night.

Things are often not as they seem.  Are you using all of your measures of love?

Treasures in Heaven

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." -Matthew 6:19

There is a great temptation in our lifetime to only focus on things that are in the here and now - in the physical realm.  Money, recognition, achievements, and material things have their own sense of pleasure - and they are the things we see with our physical eyes.  But, in reality, they don’t last; these things never make it to the realm of eternity.   

But what does last? How can we make the greatest impact in the kingdom that lasts for all eternity?

Imagine if every thing we did for God resulted in a jewel in our crown in heaven.  Imagine if every act of kindness, giving to the poor, acting upon the voice of the Holy Spirit, and moving in love and power were the keys that unlocked our heavenly treasures... 

"In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble." -Proverbs 15:6

Obedience to God and His word are how we can store up treasure in heaven.  Are you storing up heavenly treasures?

Preparing for Eternity

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”  -Ecc 3:11

Have you ever noticed how much time we spend planning for our education, planning for weddings, or planning for retirement?  And yet, we rarely think about planning or preparing for our eternal lives - and those will last forever! 

We have such a small amount of time on this earth compared with eternity.  We will spend eternity somewhere, but the question is, where, and also, how? 

If we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior the first question has been answered. However, there is a difference in how each of us will spend our lives in heaven.

The Bible says we will receive rewards in heaven based upon our works and faith during our time here on earth.  (1 Peter 1:17, Matt 24:46 ) This has a lot to do with fulfilling the calling God gave to us, (Luke 12:43, Luke 19:17) taking care of the people around us, taking care of the poor and orphans, (Mark 9:41) (and whether we do this for the applause of men, Matt 6:1), loving our enemies, (Luke 6:35) the persecution we have undergone because of our faith, (Matt 5:12) and living out His word.  (2 John 1:8)

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” -Matthew 5:11-13

Some people think we are physical beings headed for a spiritual place.  But, the reality is, we are spiritual beings living temporarily in a physical place. Are you busy preparing for your reward in heaven?