In the opening scene of "Gladiator" Russell Crowe's character is preparing his men for a great battle. One line that he uses to inspire these men to fight for their empire & possibly give their lives for their empire is this, "What we do in life echoes in eternity." The truth in that statement is powerful. What we do here & now matters. The choices we make matter. It's easy for those of us who follow Jesus to see the truth in this statement. However, we do have a habit of compartmentalizing our lives so that we think some things really matter but other things aren't really that big a deal. We typically look at the things that "really" matter & call them spiritual. Those other things are worldly & aren't really that big a deal. The only problem is that Jesus blows a hole in that way of thinking. In Luke 16, Jesus instructs His people to use their worldly wealth for eternity. In 1st Timothy 6, Paul instructs Christ followers to "be rich in good deeds & generosity in order to lay up a firm foundation in the coming age (eternity)." So even the things we might consider "worldly" matter. What we do with our "worldly wealth" matters. Where we invest that stuff matters.
"Followers Of Christ Must Find Ways To Use
Our Temporary Things For Eternal Impact."
We all have a little bit of time in this world, & we all have a little bit of opportunity with the resources we have to impact eternity. We smile & feel all warm & fuzzy when we read stories of people "paying it forward" at Starbucks & buying coffee for their fellow man. Why don't we get just as excited about the idea that we can leverage our temporary blessings to be an eternal blessing? Why don't we feel all warm & fuzzy when we hear about a ministry that we have the opportunity to support? Is it because we don't see that payoff? Think about it this way: when you invest in eternity, why would you expect to see the fruit of that invest outside of eternity? Sure, God could bless you for your faithful investment in eternity by giving you an extra financial blessing, but He's under no obligation to. To assume that He does is simply our trying to manipulate Him. We're investing in eternity. Therefore we can assume we won't see the fruit of it until we enter into eternity. Someday you will stand before your Heavenly Father & perhaps He'll show you how your faithfulness to invest in His Kingdom paid off by taking the Gospel to someone who responded in faith & was eternally transformed. That's a priceless payoff. Your investment in eternity can change someone's eternity.
How can you start leveraging your temporary things for eternal impact? Can you open your home up for a small group or youth ministry to use? Can you donate to & volunteer in a local church's ministry that not only feeds & clothes people, but offers them the hope of the Gospel? Is there a ministry or missions organization that you can invest in financially that will take the Gospel to the ends of the earth so that those who haven't heard the hope that they can have in Jesus? Your temporary stuff matters. It can have an eternal impact, but you have to invest it in eternity.
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