Thursday, December 15

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2016

 

MICAH 1:1–4:13

REVELATION 6:1–17

PSALM 134:1–3

PROVERBS 30:1–4

“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?’” (Revelation 6:15–17)

The account from Revelation makes clear that only faith and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ provides the pathway to God’s eternal rest and joy in heaven. The judgments that befall the earth come equally to the rich and powerful and everyone else, as these verse below indicate.

Given its obsession with youth and self-indulgence, the world doesn’t provide much incentive to focus on the eternal. In fact, it seems that the world and its distractions even divert us from considering the relatively long-term of the next year or more.

In contrast, God definitely has communicated eternity into our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:10,11). How will we respond to this communication? Will we seek to know Him, the Eternal One? Or will we ignore the calling?

Early on in my walk with Christ, I had the great blessing of hearing several messages about living in light of eternity. One speaker used a room-wide clothesline, explaining that this line represented eternity. He then placed a strip of electrical tape on the clothesline, to mark the span of our lifetime. This illustration stuck with me and pointed out our opportunity to live for that much greater line.

Practically speaking, how may we offer our hearts and lives to eternal ends? Reading God’s Word gives us an excellent foundation for understanding God’s call to live in light of eternity. As Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” In another place, Colossians 3:1–4, he described Christ as “our life.” The Word therefore highlights how the life of Christ, lived in us, prepares us for His purposes.

Character-building, which comes through submitting ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and direction, lies at the center of preparing for eternity too. We desire transformation, not just information. We need God’s reshaping of our hearts and redirection of our plans because our natural selves desire what is contrary to God’s heart. Our lives in Christ fit us for God’s eternal service.

I personally have benefited tremendously from studying the stories of great men and women of God, who followed Jesus’s example of living sacrificially. Missionaries like Jim Elliott and C. T. Studd are two of my favorites; they willingly submitted their lives to God’s plans and impacted millions through their testimony. The Apostle Paul provides a great Biblical example.

As we celebrate the Incarnation at Christmas, please remember the eternity behind that Incarnation. Let us seek Him wholeheartedly and find the joy of knowing and loving Him.

Lord God, thank You for sending the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for showing us the all-importance of eternity. We give our hearts to Your eternal purposes and desire to live our lives to impact eternity. Give us opportunities to be a blessing to others at this Christmastime. Allow us to pour out Your love into their lives. We love You, honor You, and serve You today. In Jesus’s Name, amen.