The Urgency to Live Eternally

Life on Earth is fleeting, as James points out in his letter, “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14, ESV). A mere mist! We have all heard the phrase “Life is short . . .” followed by the direction of what to do with a “short life.” A quick search returns pages of secular “directions” on top of the “Life is short” quote. Though these are secular, we can derive a biblical principle from each of them. Here are three of those I found:

1 “Life is too short to wait” – the idea is to not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Spiritually, I think of the parable of the rich fool in the Gospel of Luke, after storing up a significant surplus, the man said to himself, “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry’” (Luke 12:19, ESV). “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” (Luke 12:20, ESV). The man could control everything but the day of his death, yes, he was rich, but he lived without a recognition of eternity.

2 “Life is short, make it sweet” – an Old Dominion song with the following lyrics,

“I know it's a drag, I know it's a grind
I know that a dollar ain't worth a dime
Just trying to keep up with the Joneses at the end of the block

I know you get tired, I know you get down
I know you get sick of this soul sucking town
But let's make a little lemonade if lemons is all we got”

That is a surprisingly good synopsis of the world in those six verses. It is a drag, it is grind, impossible to get ahead, but coveting thy neighbor’s material possessions. It is exhausting, it is frustrating, the world beats you down...make the best of it! And the “best of it,” is thinking eternally, building treasure in heaven.

3 “Life is short, death is forever.” – An ominous quote by novelist Chuck Palahniuk, who is best known for his novel, Fight Club. Chuck is correct in that death is forever, though I would change that slightly to read, “death is eternal.” While we all die to this earth, we all have a final eternal destination – either heaven or hell.

In the luxurious comfort of western living, it is easy to lose sight of an eternal perspective. The Bible reminds us to fix our eyes on heaven and live with a sense of urgency for the things that truly matter—our eternal destiny and our relationship with God.

Here are some points that I found helpful to focus my eyes on the eternal prize:

1.      Teach Us to Number Our Days

The psalmist writes, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, ESV). This verse challenges me to reflect on the brevity of life and making each moment count for eternity. “Teach us” reminds us that the wisdom to number our days is about learning and not our innate attribute. Opportunities to serve God and align our hearts with His will are finite. Recognizing this truth should propel us to live intentionally, with our hearts and minds set on the things above.

2.      Set Your Minds on Things Above

Paul reminds us in Colossians, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3, ESV). The allure of the world can cloud our spiritual vision, but this verse refocuses on our heavenly inheritance. “Being raised with Christ” means living like Jesus did, with a full dependence on God and full surrender to God’s will. Living like that will transform our priorities and choices that invest in eternity rather than the temporary.

3.      Make the Most of Every Opportunity

Paul also exhorts us in Ephesians, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV). “Making the best use of the time” is about making the most of the opportunity to do good and glorify God. This call to vigilance reminds us of the urgency to live out our faith and being on mission to spread the fame of Jesus.

4.      Seek First His Kingdom

Jesus Himself declared, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). The world overloads us with priorities; seeking the Kingdom is not another “thing to-do” in a lengthy list of priorities, it is the main priority under which all other priorities are governed. When we align our lives to seek His kingdom first, we experience the peace and purpose that comes from living with an eternal perspective.

5.      A Crown That Will Last Forever

Paul speaks of a heavenly reward, saying, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25, ESV). The idea of Paul here is to train and compete to win, knowing that our actions today echo in eternity. This reward is not material nor is it temporal but rather an imperishable, everlasting crown.

Conclusion: Living for Eternity

I want to encourage everyone to shift your focus to the eternal, making our days count for God’s glory. We need to remember James words, that we are but a mist and let us live with urgency, setting our eyes on heaven, seeking God’s kingdom, and running the race with perseverance. The time is now to align our lives with the eternal purposes of our Creator.

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