Only One Eternity

I've heard it said,  "You've only one life, live it to the max!" But I say, "You've only one eternity, choose wisely."

I'm not saying the life we live here is not important.  It most definitely is. Life is a gift and Jesus Himself said that He came so that we could live it abundantly.

However, I think we view our life here as the be-all and end-all of our existence.  In reality, our life here is a stepping stone to eternity. In light of eternity, our 70 or so years of earthly existence are just a blip on the timeline of our life.

God says:

"What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]." James 4:14 AMP

It's a sobering thought to think that what we do in our few years of life determines how eternity goes!

Of course the biggest life-choice we make will be with whom we will spend our eternity. Will you spend it with the God who created you, and then having made you, He loved you so much He couldn't bear to see you destroyed by sin.  He gave His own life to redeem you and make you His own child so that you could inherit Heaven.

Or will you throw His gift back in His face and go your own way?

Once you've determined to "cast your lot with the Lord's people,"  (I love that phrase - I found it in a 1928 obituary.) do you realize that you can have a part in determining what your eternity looks like?

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

This whole section of the Bible talks about not being so concerned with everyday life but admonishes us to seek the kingdom of God first and He will give us everything we need.

Our focus should be on Him and the rest of our life - the life that begins the moment we step out of our body.

I love this illustration that I heard somewhere years ago.

There are three stages of life.  The first stage is our time in the womb.  How we love being in that warm safe cocoon with our every need supplied by our mother!  It's a wonderful place:  warm, comfortable, dark, hearing the comforting murmur of our mother, swimming in amniotic fluid that is the perfect environment for us. But then, a terrible thing happens.  The walls of our safe little abode start squeezing us out into a very tight place.  Oh, the struggle of getting out of that birth canal!  We are sure it's going to be the death of us.

Yet, when we are birthed into that second stage of life, it's even more wonderful.  Sight! Sound! Color! Taste! We can actually see and experience our mother's loving arms. As we grow and develop, life shows us so many wonderful things.  No more restrictions such as existed in that little womb where we once lived.  Now we can stretch, move, dance and sing!

Later, we think another terrible thing happens to us.  Death has come to claim us and end life as we know it. But just as life outside the womb is so much more wonderful than inside the womb, the third stage, eternal life, for the child of God is infinitely more enjoyable! It will be so great, we can't even imagine it.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

God has prepared a wonderful life for His children - both here on earth and in eternity.  Choose now to join Him in His plans!

How ironic that Bible Gateway's verse of the day goes so well with my post:

“Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.” 1 Peter 1:18-19 MSG

Only One Eternity was written to share with community.  I'm linking up with Shanda at On Your Heart Tuesday. You can link up at A Pause on the Path.