October-December
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.
Today I would like to ask you a question. Let’s say you have a neighbor—Jim—who, for a very long time, has been telling everyone that he is living in his present house only temporarily, and that he will move to a permanent home far, far away. Although he does not have an exact date, he says it will be quite soon. Months and years go by and one would never guess he is planning on moving. He never packs anything and never makes a move to imply that he will soon move or that his stay is indeed temporary. As a matter of fact, it would appear that the opposite is true. It seems as if he has come to stay. He remodels his house, plants a garden and fruit trees, buys the parcel of land next to his, and so forth. All the while he says that his stay in the area is temporary, and that he will be moving soon. As time goes by, he says the date for him to move is drawing ever nearer, yet he continues to enhance his yard and beautify his house while not bothering to pack a thing. What would you think of such a person? Would you believe he is truly moving? Wouldn’t you think he is foolish? Why put so much into a place that you will soon be leaving? I believe nearly all of us would be baffled at the absurdity of such a scenario, would we not?
And yet, a very similar scenario is taking place in the life of so many of us today, especially in the life of us youth. We say we believe Jesus is coming soon. We say we know we are just pilgrims who are passing through. We say we know this is not our home, and that we believe our true home and final destination is heaven. But do our actions truly prove this? Do the lives we lead convey this message to the world and to those around us? Or are we something akin to a film that is out-of-sync?
Today it is far too easy to be a Jim. We live, act, and make plans as if we were to live in this old world forever. You see, we are young and enthusiastic. We are at a point where the best of life’s journey has just begun. We are full of ideas, hopes, aspirations, dreams, and we feel as though we can conquer the world. We want to experience life and all that it has to offer. Indeed, all this in itself is no sin . . . until we allow it to blur our view of heaven and allow ourselves to be distracted from what truly matters—eternal life. We tend to become so preoccupied with completing degree after degree, obtaining our dream job, fulfilling our earthly plans and endeavors that we lose sight of our true goals. Perhaps we sometimes worry more about maintaining a high GPA (grade point average) and excelling in our class than we do about the records being kept of us in heaven. Perhaps we are more concerned, at times, with impressing our professors, bosses, or peers and with making our parents proud than we are with gaining our heavenly Father’s approval.
This reminds me of an important thought. I’m sure all of us who have been students at one point or another have felt our heart pounding fast inside our chests and have had a high amount of nervousness and anxiety when taking a crucial exam. This feeling usually has heightened upon reviewing the grade of that exam. However, in such moments I have many times thought to myself, I am so worried and nervous over an exam which can mean nothing more than the passing or failing of a class. How will I feel in that great judgment day when my eternal life is in the balance—in that moment when the Judge will tell me whether I have “passed” or “failed” my life’s test; at that day when I will know if I have lost everything that truly matters or gained it all? Neither you nor I can imagine what that will feel like. But it is then when we will realize whether everything we did was worth it. It is then that we will know whether we had our priorities straight.
Jesus is coming soon. We all know this, but do we truly believe it? Do our actions imply this? Many of us, myself included, are many times like Jim. We forget, or at least act as if we have forgotten, that we are not here for long and that we are placing too much time, effort, and importance on things that are only temporary. But, you might ask, what is wrong with wanting to be someone in life, with aiming to get somewhere, or with accomplishing great things? None of this is wrong. What is wrong is allowing our priorities to become mixed up and setting our heart too much on the things of this world. We should constantly be asking ourselves: How will this benefit my spiritual life? Many of the things which engage the greatest part of our attention and time are things which will do nothing to help us gain God’s favor or secure our crown. In the end we will have spent years, many sleepless nights, untiring effort, and perhaps many tears in achieving things which will be worth nothing when Jesus returns in the clouds of heaven. We will realize that we spent so much of ourselves in something that we cannot take to heaven and which will play no part in opening heaven’s gates to receive us.
In today’s world it is hard to stay focused on heaven and on eternity. And while having high aspirations and great plans is no sin, we cannot afford to forget that Jesus’ second coming is drawing ever nearer and we cannot act as if this world is our permanent home. Perhaps it is time to reorder our priorities and set them straight. I pray that in this alluring world God can help us keep our eyes focused on what is soon to take place. Time is running out, and you and I have much preparation to do. It is not a difficult exam we must study for. Rather it is our characters we must prepare for eternity. No earthly concern can compare with the seriousness of this task. We must keep ever before us the fact that while we are in this world, we are not of it. May we remember the following words written by the servant of the Lord: “The youth should seek God more earnestly. The tempest is coming, and we must get ready for its fury by having repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . The end is near, probation is closing. Oh, let us seek God while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near! The prophet says: ‘Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger’ (Zephaniah 2:3).”—The Signs of the Times, April 21, 1890. Jesus is coming soon! May our life be the most convincing proof of this reality.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
The end is near, probation is closing. . . . We should constantly be asking ourselves: How will this benefit my spiritual life?