What is more important, the pleasures of sin in this life, or the riches of eternal life in Christ forever? Weighing these two options side by side should come out to be a no-brainer. The scale clearly tilts in the direction of eternity. After all, the eternal is quite a bit longer than life on earth, and God’s rewards are quite a bit nicer than any earthly prize. Plain and simply, the eternal weight of glory is far greater than anything this world has to offer.
The perspective that we need to have is given by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 which says,
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (italics mine).
In order to properly value eternity priorities in light of their true value, we must be willing to see beyond the temporal world. We must think Biblically by viewing this life as a short window of time for doing what God wants us to do. Temporal thinking is easily distracted from the course that God wants us to take. Temporal thinking gets caught up with the circumstances such that the hope of eternity is lost. Paul says that the only way for us not to lose heart when difficult times come is to remember that, though our body decays every day and pain may come our way, we are being renewed inwardly day by day. The inner person is growing more like Christ as we let Christ work in our hearts and minds. Each day our spiritual strength can be fresh and new despite the outward decay of our bodies. Paul had such an eternal perspective that he even thought beyond his own temporal body, thinking of his spirit which would live on. He even viewed the intense affliction that he faced as but momentary and light given that his temporal life was so short compared with eternity.
If we want to begin to think eternally like Paul, we need to think beyond simply what is in front of our faces now. The temporal world is just that, temporary. Things rot, decay, rust, and are destroyed, but that which is eternal lives on. God lives on, our spirits will live on, God’s Word will endure, and heaven will be ours. No matter where we live, what we eat, what we wear, where we go to shop, where we go to work, and what we drive or ride to get there, we must see beyond these things. Everything we do, from work to family to leisure to ministry should be done to the glory of God. How we use every minute of the day should be done purposefully in light of the values of heaven. If we don’t value heaven’s rewards and if we don’t care about the judgment seat of Christ, it will be very difficult to let eternity impact our everyday decision-making. But in this case, aging is actually a mercy in that it reminds us as each day passes that this life is fading and that our bodies will one day give out on us. It makes us remember that there is more to this life than just what we see. It helps us walk by faith and think about sending treasure on ahead. This life is temporary, a mere vapor that is here and then gone. Oh, that we would see the weight of the glory of the eternal and the transience of the temporary!
We ought to do what God has given us to do in this life to the best of our ability for God’s glory. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” We are to come to the point where we become so focused upon eternity and the value of Jesus’ approval and the rewards to come that we serve Him with our whole hearts and do everything for Him rather than for people. Colossians 3:24 continues, “Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” Paul understood Who he served and that his calling was that of a servant. He understood that his life wasn’t his own but that he had been bought with a price, namely, Christ’s blood (1 Corinthians 6:20). He embraced the role of God’s servant willingly, knowing that he would receive the reward of the inheritance. He knew that eternal glory with Christ in heaven was worth doing whatever God wanted him to do in this short timeframe on earth.
The eternal fight is much more interesting than any passing fads on this planet. It carries far more meaning than any earthly crowd-pleasing event or experience. Its importance and value far exceeds any earthly commodity, and its implications extend beyond the grave. There is just no reason why we shouldn’t think with an eternal perspective. May God help us to value the weight of glory that is promised to us in eternity through Jesus Christ such that we live only desiring His will in this temporary time and in this fleeting place.
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The Good News