The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lasts forever. (1 John 2:17, NIV)
So I have a confession to make: I’m somewhat addicted to those home shows on HGTV. I like watching what creative people do with needy space.
But I also have my reservations. A lot of these homeowners put unhealthy stock in the possibilities for home improvement bringing them lasting satisfaction. In fact, one commonly expressed motivation for pouring tens of thousands of dollars into a home improvement is that this will now be their “forever home.”
Homeowners aren’t the only ones. Athletes speak of being remembered forever if their accomplishments are great enough, and sportscasters play right along with this terminology. The latter wax on about a player’s “immortality,” or the way a career Grand Slam, say, will be replayed “hundreds of years from now.”
Which reminds me of that penetrating question my friend Tim Philpot sometimes uses to get our attention: “Where will you be 100 years from now?”
Life, like golf, is not a game of perfect.I hope you’re thinking about your answer. Your own true immortality is tied up in it.
Maybe this isn’t something you’ve ever done—consider your ultimate longevity. Or, if you’re like me, living with a disease that wants to kill you, you ponder it pretty often. How often you consider your own forever probably doesn’t matter. That you consider it matters greatly.
We don’t know whether the thief on the cross had ever considered his death and what would come next before he hung next to Jesus. But a certain urgency hung with him that day, and he prayed a critical prayer, live and in person: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
You see, when it comes to your own forever, it matters only that one specific person remembers you: Jesus. Does he know you as one of his kingdom people? This is a conversation you cannot wait to have, not even one more day.
You can walk around with Bible studiers and churchgoers and other so-called “right-livers,” sometimes for many years, without seriously taking up the matter. Time to put that to rest. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” Maybe today this is being proclaimed to you.
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Jeff Hopper
June 3, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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