40 Days of Believing God – Day 4

I find it very easy to forget the big stuff, the important stuff, the stuff that matters. Not anniversaries and birthdays. I do pretty well with those. Sadly, I forget this life is passing away.

Recently, I read or heard someone say that this life doesn’t matter, that the life to come is what’s important. I don’t agree.

I certainly agree with the part about eternity being important. No argument there. But I disagree when someone says this life isn’t important. It is. It’s in this life that our eternal destiny is decided. It’s in this life that we get to exercise faith, which pleases God. Faith won’t be needed in heaven, because we’ll see everything perfectly.

I also think our five senses are evidence of the fact that God wants us to enjoy this life on earth, as brief as it is. It’s the enjoying life on earth part that I think trips me up. It too often becomes primary and the spiritual, unseen, eternal things take a back seat.

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul said, “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

If you knew a thief was coming to your house tonight, you’d do whatever was necessary to be ready. You’d lock your house. You might get a gun. You’d be watching. You’d be ready. You’d have different priorities today.

Believing God means a total change in priorites. It doesn’t mean we stop all enjoyment of this life. It just means that earthly pleasures and responsibilities are secondary to eternal pleasures and responsibilities.

Take a look at your calendar for the rest of the week. How much time is devoted to loving, serving, encouraging and caring for people? How much time is set aside to be in God’s word–getting to know Him better? It’s God and people that will last into eternity, not our money and our stuff.

Think of it this way, if it’s going to be important in eternity, then it’s important now. In heaven, we will know, love, worship and serve God. We will live in relationship with Him and others. Those are the most important things now, too.

There’s a major difference though between now and eternity. In heaven, we will not need faith, because we will see God. No questions. No wondering. No hoping He’ll come through for us. We will see.

Until then, faith is needed as long as we live in this earthly realm full of confusing circumstances, pain and hardship.

Here’s the cool thing though–God is pleased by faith. He enjoys it when we trust Him, when we choose to believe Him, not our circumstances. It’s fascinating to me that as much as God is pleased by faith (Hebrews 11:6)–it won’t be necessary in heaven.

Today, right now, is your opportunity to believe God.

Jesus will come back…like a thief in the night. Knowing that, let’s be ready. Let’s believe Him and let’s have our priorities right.