Live for Eternity

And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

1 Corinthians 15:9

Christian......it isn't just a title or a name we claim when we ask Jesus Christ into our heart.  Christianity isn't a club that we belong to that proudly declairs we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Choosing Christ and placing our hope in Him should be more than a status update or something we print on our t-shirts.  There is more to Christianity than having our prayers answered and getting what we want on this earth.  Being a follower of Christ is not just for this life.

Once a Christian, our goal should be to gain knowledge in God's Word, seek Wisdom from God and obey His commands......all of them.  Life is no longer about us and living to satisfy all of our wants and desires.  We realign our dreams with His and we do our best to follow God's lead by following His commands straight out of the bible.  He has dreams and expectations for us and He has the best ability to help us accomplish those, but only when we start thinking of eternity and living for more than just the present.  

Are you thinking and acting on thoughts of you or someone else's future in heaven or on your feelings and emotions in the heat of a moment or conflict?  

I have to admit it's not easy keeping my focus on the eternal impact of a situation.  For example, as a foster family it is very easy to get tired and warn out.  When that happens I start to think of myself and I lose sight of the big picture.  When I get stressed out and I allow my emotions to lead me I usually find myself at a pity party......"I'm tired, my kids need a break, I'm missing out on fun stuff, this grocery bill is outrageous".  When I get in this mode, eternity is nowhere in sight.  I'm not thinking of my foster kids and how living with us can improve not only their life on earth but impact their eternity, as well.  And what about my own kids?  What example am I setting for them and how will my selfishness impact their future impact on eternity?   I'm forgetting that God has called me to take care of His orphans and that the reward in heaven is much better than anything fun on earth.  I am only thinking of how I feel right then and there, ignoring the wonderful ways in which God could use my situation for leaving a lasting impact on someone's eternity, even my own.  

Acting impulsively and making choices based on my feelings may get in the way of someone knowing God's power.  All because I am living for this life and not with my eyes focused on God and eternity, I could miss an opportunity to lead someone to knowing His amazing grace.  We don't know how God can use our situations and our problems to help us and others! We are called for more than just living a successful life on earth.  We are called to think upon eternity with every conversation we have and every person we share God's love with.  We aren't to worry about how much or how little we have but keep focused on God.  From God comes Jesus and from Jesus comes eternity.  Start evaluating your life and see the areas that you need to print a bigger picture.  This life is for a short time but eternity is forever!  We should be more concerned with the forever and start living with forever in mind.  I know it's not easy but I've been told it's way worth it!