Matthew 16:25-27 ESV For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done.
Eternity changes everything. If a person full wraps his or her mind around the concept of eternity, it changes their whole perspective. Our soul, the essence of who we truly are, is eternal. We will exist forever. What that existence will be like is determined by our relatively brief time on earth.
To illustrate this idea, one could think in the terms of a human life-span. If a young person studies hard in school and then receives some sort of education – whether university, trade school, or some other career preparation – they will have a much better chance of having a financially successful life than someone who goofs off and does nothing their first 20 years but play. The goof off may have more fun at first but he or she will end of working lower paying dead-end jobs. Their life will be financially less secure.
Now I know that illustration breaks down at some point. Plans do not always work out the way one expects and some people who work hard never succeed and other people get all the breaks. However, I do think you get the general picture. In God’s scheme, the above metaphor is particularly sound.
The Bible clearly says that we get one life on this earth. How we live this life, our actions and beliefs, completely determine our eternity. It does not determine the quantity, we will all be everlasting, but it does establish where we will be and how we will live.
First the place. We will either exist in paradise with God or in horrible torment, separated from God forever. If we lose our life by sacrificing it to God, then we will live with Him forever on the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-4). On the other hand, if we live our lives for ourselves, or for anything other than God, then we will lose it and suffer without end.
Some people turn to God for fire insurance. They don’t want to go to hell but they really love the pleasures of this world so they pray a prayer and then try to live as much in this world as possible without crossing a line. That is a dangerous game because Christianity is a relationship not a religion. It is like getting married but spending as little time with your spouse as possible while still remaining married. The result will not be a healthy relationship.
According to the Bible, the better our relationship is with God, the more “treasure” we will have in eternity (Matthew 6:10-21). In other words, the better our eternal life will be.
This is our one chance. We have the freedom to choose how we live. The choices we make now will have consequences that echo for eternity. What kind of eternity are you preparing for?
Lord God, give me a revelation of eternity so that I may see my life on earth in its true context. Give me a clear understanding of how my choices impact my everlasting future. Grant me the wisdom to choose well.