MAKING LIFE COUNT FOR ETERNITY Psalm 90:10,12; Mark 8:34-37 The psalmist, like any other human being who is thinking about time and eternity, prayed God to “teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” He knew life on earth would end one day; and that would definitely mark the beginning of life in eternity. Thus, he prayed for wisdom to make positive spiritual impact in life and in eternity. In fact, the Lord wants everyone to think about the future and consider the brevity, usefulness, profitability and productivity of life in relation to it. This is because the things one does, the life he lives and the seeds he sows today determine whether or not his life will count for eternity. It is obvious that everyone can make his life, time or day count for eternity. The believer should endeavour to make his relationship (friendship, marriage, contact, association), service and ministry within and outside the church to serve this supreme, God-glorifying purpose. Evangelism or soul-winning, touching and turning lives around is the major work that can make eternal impact on the souls of men. Therefore, from your education to your profession and the things you do from day to day, you should make everything count for eternity by winning men into the kingdom of God. Though the advent of computer has increased knowledge incredibly as there are lots of things to study now than before, the Lord wants His people to make their education and certificate count for eternity. He requires that you make your labour, service, ministry, and even management of money count for eternity. The wise believer will not just spend money without a second thought of its consequences with regards to the salvation of the sinner and readiness of the believer for the rapture. As a believer, make your life activities in the church, family and everything count for eternity. 1. MEN THAT COUNT FOR ETERNITY: Hebrews 11:7,8,24-27; Numbers 25:1-13; Psalm 39:4; Deuteronomy 32:29; Jeremiah 33:22; Revelation 21:1-3,14. There are men and women that count for eternity. One of them was Noah. God had told him to build an ark for the salvation of his house. He was a preacher of righteousness but his people did not accept his message. His family of eight was saved from the antediluvian flood. The ark he built by faith counted for eternity. Another person is Abraham. When he was called out, he obeyed and “went out, not knowing whither he went.” Moses was yet another. He could have been a prince, a prime minister or another pharaoh in Egypt but he made a choice that counted for eternity. Ordinary people do not choose to suffer voluntarily. Rather, they try to avoid pressure, problems and sufferings. It takes a man who evaluates everything that he does in the light of eternity to make a choice that leads to sufferings like Moses. Those who decide that their lives will count in the light of eternity whether in the face of pleasure or pain, suffering or satisfaction, problem or prosperity are like Moses whose total thought, words, choice and action were in the light of eternity. This attitude secures appropriate reward in eternity. Phinehas was another man whose life counted for eternity because he destroyed sin in the camp. Like him, you are to deal with sin in your personal life and in the congregation. A fight against sin of any kind is what makes one count for eternity. David was a man whose life counted for eternity as were the twelve apostles. As a result, they will have their names inscribed on the walls of the New Jerusalem and throughout eternity. Since no man knows how frail or short life is, there is need for prayer for wisdom not to sin or be a partner to a sinner, and wisdom for divine grace to live and labour in a manner that will be rewarded in eternity. The sinner must first be saved to be a useful tool in the hand of God. The Lord is calling believers to be among the men and women that count for eternity. Believers need to be sanctified and lead a holy life to be able to receive reward in eternity. Then, when the Lord bids the believer come home through death or rapture, he will be ready to go without hesitation. The Lord is calling us to a life, ministry and acts of wisdom that will make our lives and deeds count for eternity. Like these men, we too will labour for eternity through gospel-preaching rather than remain on maintenance ministry that we have given ourselves to for years. 2. MATTERS THAT CONDEMN FOR ETERNITY: 1 Kings 12:26-30; 14:15,16; 15:26,30,34; 16:25,26; 22:52; 2 Kings 10:10,11,15,16,31; Matthew 23:13-15,33; Jeremiah 23:17,21,22,32,40; 2 Peter 2:15-17; Revelation 2:14. There are people who do not examine their actions, utterances, ministries and ministrations. Thus, they get involved in things that will condemn them for all eternity except they repent. Jeroboam, desiring to keep his leadership position bestowed by divine mercy decided to achieve it through manoeuvring and manipulation. He did not only sin, he also made Israel to sin. He had a corrupting influence over other people. It has been said that the sin of a leader is a leading sin. Because he wanted to preserve his position and keep the people to himself, he made a whole nation to sin and that will condemn him for eternity. Before he died, he left a legacy of sin which affected even some righteous people like Jehu. Public sins that are transferred to other people and which go from one generation to another condemn for eternity. Some people encourage sinners to continue in their sins or continue in backsliding. Examine yourself. What you are doing now, will it earn you a reward in eternity? Are you making bad people to sin more and the righteous people go the way of sin? Consider what you do to determine whether they are things that make people righteous or that condemn for all eternity. Preachers and believers are to turn people away from their evil. But if they continue in matters that condemn, the Lord “will bring an everlasting reproach upon [them], and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.” Therefore, spend your time, energy, skills, ability, gifts, on things that count for eternity so that those gifts are not used for things that will condemn you for eternity. Use your gifts to develop faith, not fear; to develop courage, not cowardice; to make people progress in godly matters, not retrogress in spiritual matters. But when we do otherwise, we do things that condemn for all eternity. We must follow the way of the Lord so that we are not condemned like Balaam. 3. MINISTRIES THAT COUNT FOR ETERNITY: Acts 8:4; Philippians 1:13-17; Ecclesiastes 4:13; Titus 2:15; Acts 20:24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:17,18; 2 Timothy 4:5; Hebrews 8:5; Revelation 2:25,26; 22:14. Believers in the early church “were scattered abroad … every where preaching the word.” Like the early church, we are to go everywhere preaching that word of repentance, restitution, righteousness, purity of heart. But we must bear in mind that the evangelism that God rewards is the one done to His glory. The same is applicable to ministering in the church. Ministries in the church that turn people’s mind against holiness, righteousness, rapture and the standard of the scriptures will not have eternal reward. Some people want others to focus on them like Jeroboam and not on Christ. We are to preach, uphold, spread and establish holiness everywhere we go. That is the ministry that profits and makes people to have a reward for all eternity. What kind of preaching, singing, prayer are you doing? Paul the apostle was involved in good ministry and sowing good seeds in many believers in Philippi. Seeing his imprisonment and zeal in preaching the gospel in spite of the pressure, they became bold also in the preaching of the gospel. No believer or leader should ever get to a situation or position where he can no longer be corrected. We need to keep ministry simple, straightforward; a kind of ministry that saves, sanctifies and sustains the standard, shields, shepherds and keeps in the right direction. The ministry that receives reward is the ministry of reconciliation where singing, preaching and evangelism transform lives. The ministry that counts for eternity is one where everything is done according to the revealed pattern of Christ. Therefore, make your time, service, opportunity, relationship, marriage, friendship, association, sphere of influence, ministry, profession and life’s activities count for eternity. And when the day of reward comes, you will not miss your reward. The good things you have that will count for eternity and give you reward, hold fast till Christ comes. We must labour and make great sacrifices that will be rewarded by the Lord.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:00:14 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015