Walking Toward Eternity!

A great deal of our lives is spent setting goals and then attempting to achieve them. Whether it be in a sport, a job, a relationship, or a hobby–a great deal of our time and efforts go into succeeding or finishing on top. All for something temporal; an achievement that will one day pass away and be forgotten. Even those who have achieved what the world may consider as great will one day be forgotten.

As Paul was nearing the end of his life, he was writing to a church that he had an intense love for. He was reminiscing about his past. In the beginning of Chapter 3 of Philippians, he tells his readers about all his great worldly achievements from his early life. But then he concluded: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7). In verse 8, he went even further by saying: “I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”

You may have had a past of greatness or maybe just a simple past with nothing at all to reminisce about. As Paul said, it really doesn’t matter as it will all soon pass away. Life is a walk towards eternity. The choices we make, the things we carry out, every action of every day is one step closer to eternity. When it’s all said and done, all that will matter is the decision we have made to either follow or reject Christ.

And as followers of Christ, our every day should be consumed with building our eternity. Consider what Paul said: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14 NIV).

We are headed to eternity. Every human will depart this earth one day by death or rapture. All will stand before the judgement seat of Christ to answer for the walk made towards eternity (Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10). Paul strained ahead with eternity on his mind, always understanding his responsibility to live a life for Christ and to share Christ everywhere he went.

Today, you are walking toward your eternity. You may not think about it much, but you should. Life is short; eternity is forever! Do you know Christ as your Savior? If not, turn to Him today. Believers, is your eternity and its rewards forefront in your heart and mind. Is it the dominating force that directs your daily steps? Are you sharing the love of Christ and His free gift of salvation everywhere you go? The judgment seat of Christ sits on our horizon. Everyday is a closer walk to your eternity. What preparations are you making for your day in His court? Think about it!