There is more than the world that we're currently living in.
There's more to this life than this life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV)
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
We don't only live once. We live twice. We live here on earth. Then, we live in heaven. If we think that we only live once, we'll never live right.
Ecclesiastes 3:11B (NIV)
11 He (God) has also set eternity in the human heart;
Hebrews 9:27 (NIV)
27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
We each have an appointment with death. After death, the Bible teaches that there is a judgement.
Revelation 20:11-12 (NIV)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.
Another book was opened, which is the book of life.
The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
At the Great White Throne Judgement, there is a book of life. It determines if you've accepted Jesus as your Lord, and surrendered your life to Him.
If you have, you have been written in this book. There is an another judgement for those who have been written in the book of life. It's called the judgement seat of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Matthew 16:27 (NIV)
27 For the Son of Man (Jesus) is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
The judgement seat of Christ is like an sport's event. Jesus is like a judge at a race. The reward is like a trophy for the good that you've done in this life.
Revelation 22:12 (NIV)
12 “Look, I (Jesus) am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
Jesus can't wait to give us our rewards, so He's bringing them with Him. It's sooner than you might think. If you understood heaven, you wouldn't want to stay here.
We are only passing through. It's very special to remember that on our tough days. God is on a rescue mission to get us out of here.
Philippians 3:20 (NIV)
20 But our citizenship is in heaven.And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Hebrews 11:14-16 (MSG)
13-16 Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing.
How did they do it?
They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.
People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted.
But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.
My time on earth is short especially when you see it through the lens of eternity.
James 4:14 (NIV)
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
What you think that you have a lot of you squander.
Psalm 90:12 Living Bible (TLB)
12 (Lord) Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.
Make the most of every opportunity.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
1 Corinthians 3:13-14 (NLT)
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
This judgement determines if we will get a reward in heaven. We must do our good works to introduce others to Jesus, so they can share eternity with us in heaven.
If we do good works to people and they go to hell, we loose our reward. The only thing that matters is what shows up in heaven.
1. We must keep an eternal perspective. We know that when our love ones die that we are separated from them but for a moment if we have this perspective.
Hebrews 11:25-26 (NLT)
25 He (Moses) chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.
On your difficult days look ahead and look up, your redemption draws nigh.
2. We are to give up something now for something later. We already do this for education and dieting. We need to do this for eternity.
Matthew 6:19-20 (NLT)
19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
3. We are to intentionally make a difference. The ultimate purpose of our lives is to make a difference.
A. Share your resources.
B. Become a priority, percentage, and a progressive giver.
C. Share your time.
D. Share Christ with someone.
No comments:
Post a Comment