A hard truth is that you can devote your entire life to pursuing Christ and still never master living in complete holiness. We can draw closer to Christ, but will never be with Him until we die. Thus, we will never realize our ultimate goal in this life, no matter how hard we try or how much we persist.
Everything else in life is possible except for living in perfect holiness. And yet, this is what we are called to in this life (1 Peter 1:15–16; Matthew 5:48). The goal is to try every day to be a little more like Jesus than the day before. It is the only goal worth having and pursuing. Do you believe that? If so, does your life reflect that belief?
You can chase after power, wealth, and fame in this world and might just achieve any or all of those things. Congratulations! What good are any of those when you die? Every man, woman, and child alive today is going to die. It’s a certainty proven by physiology, logic, and history. One hundred percent of all beings that have ever breathed breath are now dead. You will not be the exception to the rule. There is a second certainty other than death. That certainty is when you die, your perfect, all-powerful, holy, and righteous Creator will be your judge. You can’t escape death, and you can’t escape His judgment (Hebrews 9:27-28; Ecclesiastes 12:14).
The best you can do is prepare for the judgment to come. No amount of wealth will buy your way out of trouble and into Heaven (Proverbs 11:4). All the power you possess on earth is laughable compared to the ultimate and unlimited power of our God (Psalm 62:11). No amount of fame will sway God’s righteous judgment. Everything you spent your whole life chasing will be meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:11). What a waste! Only a person who has spent their life pursuing perfect holiness will survive God’s judgment, because a life spent focusing on holiness is a life that knows Jesus is the only way to that goal and they surrender their life to Him (John 14:6; Romans 10:9–10).
Perfect holiness is only available through the perfect sacrifice of God’s perfect Son (Hebrews 10:10; 1 Peter 2:24). The vast majority of the people on this planet are wasting their lives pursuing things they can never keep (Matthew 16:26). Worse, they are unprepared for the judgment awaiting them. It’s more than sad; it’s tragic! Don’t be one of those people. Don’t think because you said a little prayer one time that you’ve got nothing to worry about. Lip-service Christianity will not save your soul (Matthew 7:21–23).
If you want your life to mean anything, you must spend it in pursuit of perfect holiness. Until you surrender everything to Jesus, you are wasting your time and wasting your life (Luke 9:23–24). What is the purpose of living if you’re going to waste the only life you have? Jesus said we will have to account for every idle word we speak (Matthew 12:36). How much more do you think God will judge us for living an idle life? We’ve got one shot to prove we are faithful stewards of all God entrusts to us (1 Corinthians 4:1-2; Matthew 25:14-30). One shot to live a life of obedience in preparation for eternity with our Holy King (Philippians 2:12). How will you spend your one life?