Recently, I came across a quote from David Jeremiah: “Those who think the most about Heaven do the greatest work on earth.” It made me stop and wonder how much of my time I’m spending thinking about Heaven and how much I’m spending thinking about my life here and now. I doubt I’m alone in admitting most of my thoughts are on the present, not on my eternity. Everything we do here is laying the groundwork for life when Christ returns.
If we do nothing for Him, we should not expect much from Him. And if we do nothing for Him, we may find ourselves on the outside looking in when He establishes His Kingdom here on earth (Matthew 7:21-23). Today matters more than we can imagine, and the only way worth spending it is with a focus on the life to come, not on the one we are living.
Our life is a training ground for spending an eternity in the renewed earth along with Jesus. He is coming back and restoring all things to how they were in the beginning. All the decay, sickness, violence, and evil in our world will be wiped away. Everything we hope and imagine will be possible because we will, at last, be living completely in God’s will. It’s almost too exciting for me to continue typing. Imagine living your life as God created you to live it. Envision a world of creatures and colors beyond your wildest dreams. This will be the home of those who devote themselves to Jesus in the here and now.
Today matters because tomorrow matters. We can’t get to the Kingdom of God unless we immerse ourselves in building it today. I know this because Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey His commands (John 14:15). If you don’t love Jesus, really love Him, why would you think He will allow you to spend eternity with Him? The choice is ours. He’s not pushing anyone away, and the bar for admission couldn’t be lower. Love God and serve others (Mark 12:28-31). These are the requirements for today if we want to spend eternity with Him.
When we spend our life thinking of ways to get ahead, to be comfortable, or feel safe, we are living a shortsighted life that will leave us separated from God forever. Your soul yearns for Him. It always has and always will. Spending eternity spent without Christ is to spend forever with an unrelenting ache in the depths of your soul. You will long for Your Creator, but you will never experience Him again.
If you care about eternity, today matters. Where you spend your time today may very well dictate where you spend it in eternity. The things on which you focus today prove whether you are worthy to spend eternity with Jesus. There are no part-time disciples, no half-way followers of Jesus. If you love Him with an “I’d love Him even if there were no such thing as Heaven and eternal life” kind of love, then how you live today matters. We will not get a do-over. All we have is this life. Focus on Heaven and you will build His Kingdom here on earth. That will be your greatest work. Nothing else will last. Nothing else matters.