Stepping Stones: Forever: Where Will You Live?

Transformational Thought

Lately, many people seem to be dying prematurely. Whether from suicide, accidental overdose drug addiction, car accidents, or the all-too-frequent cancer victim. So many funerals … almost daily. If you believe what people say at funerals, no one ever goes to Hell. I’ve never heard anyone give a eulogy and say, “My father did many nice things, but was a handful to deal with and he will spend eternity in Hell. Where will you go? Will you live forever in Hell with my dad, or go to heaven when you die? ”

Really, that is the “for all the marbles” question. Have you ever really thought about eternity? I’ve been thinking about it ever since I was a kid and realized people actually die and leave this earth.

Many times we hear Christians talk about life on earth compared to eternity. They’ll say “it’s as quick as the blink of an eye.” While our time on earth is certainly short and fast compared to eternity, how we spend that time determines how we will spend our eternity. Yes, our time on earth is very important and is just a small stepping-stone on the path to our final intended destination, eternity.

When we don’t know Jesus, we make choices as if this life is all we have. In reality, this life is just the introduction to the biggest part of life, eternity. And how we live this brief span will actually determine our eternal state and destination. What we accumulate in this life (material things) has no value in purchasing eternal life.

Try viewing all that happens from an eternal perspective. You should find both your values and your decisions changing. If you aren’t a believer in Jesus as your Savior, you got the biggest, most life altering decision to make, the one that affects where and how you spend eternity. If you do believe in Christ as your Savior, you will be in heaven for eternity. How amazingly awesome, yet sometimes impossible for me to fathom.

However, is how you live life now helping others realize the ultimate eternity-determining decision they need to make? Sure, you might be a good person. But are your daily activities simply making this earthly life more comfortable for you … or are you out there in action and word, sharing the good news with others to affect their eternal destinations?

Today, don’t just accept Jesus as your personal Savior, but make Him the Lord of your life, of all you do and every decision you make. This is what we are called to do. God has put people in your life, today, for you to build deeper relationships, and see changes in your life when you make Jesus the Lord of your life. Be a Lighthouse! Your decision, choose well.

Prayer
Dear Father God, I come to You to praise and give You glory. I come to You confessing that I do not have the eternal perspective that I want to have or should have. I thank You for my salvation and for those You brought into my life who spoke to me about eternal things. I know Your Holy Spirit changes hearts and opens eyes. And I also know You want to use me … that I have a role to play in securing eternity in Your presence for others. Lord, please help me let go of all the things I cling to in this temporal world. As I release my grasp on those “things”, it frees my hand to reach out and take hold of Your hand as You guide me to help others understand the eternal home You have promised me and all believers. I pray, Father, that as I experience suffering and the storms of this temporal world, that You help me shift my focus to eternity … my ultimate destination. I pray this in the name of my ticket into eternity, Jesus Christ; and all God’s children say – AMEN!

The Truth
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Matthew 16:26

“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:15-16

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."
Luke 11:34-36