There is this pervasive pull within us to live as if this physical, temporal life were all there was to existence. But this pull is but an undertow that tries to rip us away from the profound and devastating truth: life has an eternal value. It is not enough to think of life as merely something that is confined to the here and now, to the present. Instead, we must live life with an eternal perspective, recognizing the eternal nature of our lives and letting that perspective compel us to live life in a way befitting that perspective. In the end, we are called to live life focused on the eternal One, which reminds us that our lives do, in fact, possess within them an eternal element as a result of bearing the image of God. This is to be our eternal perspective, that guides every part of our lives and our beings. We would do well to keep this focus in every aspect and every facet of our loves.
Showing posts with label eternity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eternity. Show all posts
Monday, September 23, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
What Does It Profit to Lose One's Soul?
Mark 8:36: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"
A good deal of life is about weighing one thing against another. Whether it is as insignificant as what to eat for dinner or as important as where to live, our lives are inundating with weighing choices and making decisions that have ramifications that ripple through our lives like dropping rocks in water. And while many of these decisions do have value, they all pale in comparison to the concerns of eternity.
This is what this verse is all about. The anteverse deals with the denial of self and the daily taking up of a cross, but the hit comes in this question: for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
The answer to the question is that nothing is worth forfeiting your soul. There is not a treasure that could possible be worth yielding one's soul for all eternity. We would be wise to remember this in every situation. In the end, only eternity matters.
A good deal of life is about weighing one thing against another. Whether it is as insignificant as what to eat for dinner or as important as where to live, our lives are inundating with weighing choices and making decisions that have ramifications that ripple through our lives like dropping rocks in water. And while many of these decisions do have value, they all pale in comparison to the concerns of eternity.
This is what this verse is all about. The anteverse deals with the denial of self and the daily taking up of a cross, but the hit comes in this question: for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
The answer to the question is that nothing is worth forfeiting your soul. There is not a treasure that could possible be worth yielding one's soul for all eternity. We would be wise to remember this in every situation. In the end, only eternity matters.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Auditioning for Life Eternal
When I was a senior in high school, I was heavily involved in the theatre program at school. Throughout the course of the year, the school held two plays, a variety show, and ended the year with a musical. Because I had been so engrossed in the theatre coupled with my confidence over the strength of my audition in comparison to the other seniors, I was sure that I would have a lead role in the musical. In fact, I was certain of it.
Yet, when the casting sheet was finally posted, I found my name farther down the list than I expected and that I believed that I had deserved. I did receive a lesser part but found it as no conciliation for my disappointment, and as the sheet was posted after classes on Friday, I had all weekend to mope around the house feeling slighted.
Rehearsals were set to begin on Monday, introductions followed by a simple read-through. Our theatre was ran by a couple, I was never really able to connect with the man, but I had a good relationship with his wife. After the rehearsal I confronted her to express my frustration, with the only purpose of vocalizing how I felt.
After listening and explaining that she understood how I felt, she said something to me that I knew cognitively but that I never heard articulated from someone whom I had respected so much. She looked me in the eyes and told me that sometimes, the person who deserves the part is the one who has been working for it for their whole high school careers, and they had earned their leading roles well-before the auditions even took place. This bit of wisdom is a simple and convicting truth.
At the end, once the mortal thread is clipped and we stand before the Holy Lord Almighty's judgment seat, we will face an audition that our eternity depends upon. And though every human will stand before God and give their best effort to "gain" admittance into His eternal presence, God grants the grace of heaven to those who have spent their whole lives in consistent faith. The door to the leading role is Jesus Christ. In fact, He is the only way.
And no matter how disgruntled we may feel because of judgment's reality, God is just and righteous to place us exactly where we may deserve to be. If we have been faithful, we will spend eternity in God's presence, but if we have lived a life apart from Him, we will spend eternity damned, condemned, and tormented away from His presence. In reality, the audition for eternal life is our life itself. Therefore, so that we would not find ourselves brooding like an immature high school senior at being judged for all eternity, let us keep our focus on the play at hand, which is faith in Christ Jesus alone!
Yet, when the casting sheet was finally posted, I found my name farther down the list than I expected and that I believed that I had deserved. I did receive a lesser part but found it as no conciliation for my disappointment, and as the sheet was posted after classes on Friday, I had all weekend to mope around the house feeling slighted.
Rehearsals were set to begin on Monday, introductions followed by a simple read-through. Our theatre was ran by a couple, I was never really able to connect with the man, but I had a good relationship with his wife. After the rehearsal I confronted her to express my frustration, with the only purpose of vocalizing how I felt.
After listening and explaining that she understood how I felt, she said something to me that I knew cognitively but that I never heard articulated from someone whom I had respected so much. She looked me in the eyes and told me that sometimes, the person who deserves the part is the one who has been working for it for their whole high school careers, and they had earned their leading roles well-before the auditions even took place. This bit of wisdom is a simple and convicting truth.
At the end, once the mortal thread is clipped and we stand before the Holy Lord Almighty's judgment seat, we will face an audition that our eternity depends upon. And though every human will stand before God and give their best effort to "gain" admittance into His eternal presence, God grants the grace of heaven to those who have spent their whole lives in consistent faith. The door to the leading role is Jesus Christ. In fact, He is the only way.
And no matter how disgruntled we may feel because of judgment's reality, God is just and righteous to place us exactly where we may deserve to be. If we have been faithful, we will spend eternity in God's presence, but if we have lived a life apart from Him, we will spend eternity damned, condemned, and tormented away from His presence. In reality, the audition for eternal life is our life itself. Therefore, so that we would not find ourselves brooding like an immature high school senior at being judged for all eternity, let us keep our focus on the play at hand, which is faith in Christ Jesus alone!
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