We’re all dying. It’s inevitable. As hard as we’ve tried, humans have simply never been able to find that elusive cure for death. With all of our medical technology, we’ve managed to stave it off for a few days at most, but it is an indisputable fact. The mortality rate among humans is 100 percent.
For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, we have the assurance that what comes next is taken care of for us. We need not fear death, because heaven awaits us on the other side.
But most of us have some time standing between where we are now and where we’ll be then. God does not simply get us saved and then take us home. There’s some living to be done between now and then, and we need to think carefully about how our final destination affects our present situation. After all, we haven’t just been saved to something, we’ve been saved for something.
For starters, we should add our voices to those of Christians throughout the ages in praying, “Maranatha! Lord, come quickly!” That’s appropriate. But to that prayer we should add the saying that Jesus taught His earliest followers to pray. Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6:10).
In other words, it’s okay to pray “God, get us out of here!” but we must also pray that, in the meantime, God will bring some of “up there” into our “down here.” Moreover, we must be willing to roll up our sleeves in order to work for that reality. Let’s set about bringing something of heaven into our present world.
Cultivate the world. Order it and set it right. Engage the culture rather than withdrawing from it. Faith demands that we engage others and work for their betterment. Hope will sustain us as we engage in this endeavour. Love determines the rules of our engagement.
Remember, our salvation brought about reconciliation with God in every area of our lives. Art, literature, science, education, sleep, entertainment, work — nothing is off limits from the lordship of Jesus Christ. We have reason to believe that we will engage in most if not all of these activities in heaven. Let’s learn how to engage in them in heavenly ways right now.
It’s physically impossible to face in two directions at the same time, but we must learn to do this spiritually. We live in the “in-between” times, in the already/not yet of God’s kingdom. It has come, it is coming and one day it will arrive in all its fullness.
Until it does, let us be salt and light, penetrating society and influencing it for good. Let us make a difference in our world, partnering with God in its redemption, pushing back the darkness and advancing the borders of His kingdom in our generation.
And let’s try to take as many to heaven with us as we can.
Prayer
You have called me to participate in Your purposes through the work I have been given to do during my earthly sojourn. May I do my work with care and excellence in the desire to be pleasing to You. I realise that all things become spiritual when they are done in Your Name. May I honor You in my choices and activities and view the works of my hands as a mode of worship. I want whatever I do in thought, word and deed to be honouring to You and edifying to others. I ask for a clearer sense of purpose and calling, and for the power to accomplish that for which You have placed me on this earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment