Do You Really Believe In Eternity?
Last week in our discussions in Bible study I asked the question: “Do we really believe in eternity?” Jesus told us we could tell a tree by it’s fruit. I also believe that we can tell what a person really believes in, where their faith and hope really lies, by looking at what they spend most of their time focusing on.
I drew a time line of eternity on the white board and placed two X’s on a small portion to indicate your birth and your death. (Your life span) I then challenged the group by asking them, “Do you spend your time investing on rewards you will receive for eternity, or do you mainly focus on the rewards you will receive between these two X’s?”
Where you invest your time and resources tells people a lot about your heart.
The Bible tells Christians several things about our life’s focus:
1. You can’t serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24) You can’t serve God and chase the world. Jesus is clear here warning you that you will wind up loving one and hating the other.
2. Jesus must come first. (Luke 14:26) You can’t love anyone more than you love Christ, or you aren’t worthy of him. If having another relationship requires you to walk away from Jesus, then you must be willing to lost that relationship.
3. Store up your treasures in heaven, not here. (Matthew 6:19-21) Invest your time, talents, abilities, and resources on things that matter; the things that will last: heaven and eternity!
Building up your treasures here on earth vs. building your treasures in heaven is like someone thinking that kindergarten is the end all-be all of education. If someone thought that you would think they were crazy! To a three year old, kindergarten is a big deal. To someone in college, it was only the beginning.
When we get to the other side of eternity are you going to look back and regret that you spent all of your time investing in things that only lasted for a blink of an eye?
Someone once told me: “I don’t care as long as I get to heaven. I don’t care how big my mansion is!”
My wife, Alisa, made a good point by saying, “That’s like someone saying: ‘I don’t care if I live under a bridge, as long as I get to live in America!'” If you care about your comforts here, don’t you think you want more than “barely making it into heaven?”
God is not a socialist. The Bible is full of verses that talk about the faithful being rewarded in heaven. Make no mistake, if you chase after the world here, or even seek after your reward of faithfulness on this earth, that is what you will have.
In Matthew 6:1 Jesus said: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.“
In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus continued his warning about where you receive your rewards when he said: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus told us plainly about treasure seeking: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“
Where is your focus on a daily basis? Are you focusing more on building your empire here or utilizing your talents and abilities to increase the Kingdom of God? You better choose wisely, because eternity depends on it.
Don’t know how to focus on God’s Kingdom vs. your own empire? Join us each week at 11:00, and keep reading here. We are here to show you just that!