Counting for Eternity

{Life is still spinning fast around Chez Underwood.  I pray this post from the archives will bless you today.}

 

How does this happen?  What steps do we take to make our lives count for eternity?

I know this … it’s not by chance or happenstance.  It’s a purposeful decision, a dedicated choice made consistently out of obedience.  What counts for eternity?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heave, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.   Matthew 6:19-21, NIV

So what counts for eternity? Not things like gold (which is just heavenly asphalt) nor mansions (which will be the homes for all), not the clothes (for we will all be clad in white linen, brides dressed for our Bridegroom) nor jewelry (which will be the stones of which the gates are made) … nothing like food or furniture which can easily be destroyed nor electronics which thieves can steal … no the treasure in heaven is US. People … the precious commodity of heaven … lives, broken and wounded, but restored and healed by the blood of Christ.

If we truly desire to make our lives count for eternity then our lives must be marked by bringing along others … purposeful, intentional sharing of the Gospel. Following the example of Christ and going where the need is greatest. If our only mission field is our home and our church, we have failed! We must leave the safety of Jerusalem, the comfort of Judea … moving into the hostility of Samaria … and even into the darkness that is the rest of the world.

And so I wonder, when was the last time YOU shared the gospel truth? When was the last time you left the safety of the familiar and ventured out into the darkness of those in desperate need?  For I am convinced that our love for Christ, our passion for Him, is never a safe thing … and our following of Him was never intended to be only shown in our homes. We are called to GO … and as we GO, to SHARE.  We teach our children best what the disciple’s life is when we take them with us to the poor and oppressed, when we show them compassion for those who are dirty and sick, when we visit the lonely and jailed.

Then the King will say to those on his rights, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”

Then the King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:34-40, NIV

Powerful statements … what are you doing to store up treasure in heaven? Is your life marked by sacrificial giving of your time, your energy, your resources … beyond your home?  When was the last time you purposefully shared the life-giving, life-changing truth of the Gospel of Christ with someone?  Is that a priority in your life?  

We are called to live beyond ourselves, beyond our family … teaching our children as we go, not as we stay locked away in the safety of our homes, but as we go into a world that is truly dark and dying.  If we believe that hell is real and that Christ is the only answer, the only way … why are we not doing everything we can?

How are you reaching out and purposing your life to count for eternity?

{Yesterday, Sandra shared a great article with me about ministry beyond our front doors.  I highly encourage you to read this post from the True Woman blog.}