Only One Life To Live
In my attempt to live my present life in the light of eternity, I have learned that when eternity is the focus, the treasures that the world values become worthless. Issues such as pleasures, positions, and beauty suddenly become secondary.
I desire to focus on essential matters. I am keen to remove the things that distract and entangle me. The world’s treasures lose worth by living your life in the light of eternity. Lost souls become more precious than the goods of this world. When a person starts living in the light of eternity, people become more and more precious than what material things you can get for yourself here.
One of the lessons I am reminded of every day is that life is brittle. It’s utterly foolish to live presumptuously, as though tomorrow was promised and guaranteed. Living in the light of eternity helps us to focus on the present and make our lives count today.
The ability to make life count is within your reach. Therefore, you must trust God not to leave this Earth without securing eternity. You are first and most important a spirit being; your physical body is a container hosting the real you.
God has put inside you the ability to solve the problems in the current world. He planned for you to be on this Earth as salt and light in your areas of influence. Creation is in earnest expectation waiting for your full manifestation (Romans 8:19). If God had not deposited in your life to contribute to your generation, you would not be on Earth at this point.
Walking this Earth today signifies that you are a solution provider to make your world a better place. You are too loaded to leave this Earth without offloading what you have inside of you. The Bible contains a practical guide for making life count. It contains the secret to living a victorious and triumphant life on Earth.
In his famous quote, C.T. Studd says you have “only one life to live, it will soon pass, but only what’s done for Christ will last.” He has set an excellent example for youths by living every day of his life with eternity in view. Being a worldly renown talented cricket player, raised in a wealthy family setting and having education from a well-respected University. These are things an average human will take pride in and revolve their lives around, but just like Paul, he focused on what matters beyond time. Do you fit in any one of the categories above? Nothing should have the ability to separate you from the love of God. Not even poverty or rejection (Romans 8:35-39).
When C.T. Studd heard about the people of China, he was filled with compassion for them and could not continue pursuing fame. He laid it all down and began his first trip to China just after university education. In his famous quote, “Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell.” He chose not to remain comfortable going to church every Sunday, yet there are people in millions who have never been reached, have never heard about the love of Jesus. What do you have to forgo to make the love of Jesus known to others in darkness?
When C.T. Studd led the first person to trust in Christ, he admitted that nothing was as satisfying as that experience. He realized that that experience was far superior to all pleasures this world had to offer. Shying off from talking to his Cricket teammates about his life and the work of Christ resulted in a —back-slidden life. He finally sailed to China, where he completely assimilated the Chinese lifestyle, from the food, dressing, and even the language. Later, he went to India and Africa in Southern Sudan and Congo, where he died at 70. His last word before dying was Hallelujah.
If you only have one life, which will soon pass, and only what you do for Christ will last, what do you do with your education, skills, and money? These are tools to be used to glorify God and not to glorify yourself. Being a born-again Christian is a huge blessing, but it is not a destination. Your destination awaits you in eternity. Salvation is God’s way of empowering you to lead a victorious Christian life. After salvation, how you live your life will dictate how you will live when time ends and eternity sets.
Joy Minayo is a disciple-maker in the Activate Kenya community, and she enjoys using online media and writing blogs to help mobilize disciples towards reaching the unreached.
