THE POWER OF TOUCH

 

Matthew 8:2-3 (NIV)
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

               During my devotions today this passage of scripture was referenced. What stood out to me was the fact that Jesus reached out and touched the untouchable. In Jesus’ day, no one would touch a leper. People with leprosy were considered unclean. They had to keep their distance from other people, calling out “unclean” to warn people away. The fact that Jesus disregarded this mandate and actually touched the leper is amazing!

               In many ways, we have lost the positive power of touch in our world. Because of the unfortunate, misuse of touch, we have recoiled from touch (almost) altogether. We shield our children from the touch of non-family members and even some extended family. We are reluctant to extend touch to others unless we already have a strong connection with them. There are good reasons for this. Touch has been abused and used in inappropriate ways to manipulate and take advantage of others. As a consequence, we have become suspicious of all touch. After a certain age, hugging a child is frowned upon. It is not uncommon for people of the same gender to give an appropriate hug, but hugging between genders is less common, and in some cases prohibited. We are afraid that our physical touch with another person may be misinterpreted.

               What we have lost in the process is a sense of appropriate intimacy between people. I don’t mean intimacy is a sexual sense, but in the sense of closeness and caring. Years ago, I came across a short video which depicted an elderly woman sitting alone in a chair. As the camera rotated around her, we hear her unspoken thoughts. “For years no one has touched me in a meaningful way. And no one calls me by name anymore.” I was convicted and challenged by that short video. It reminded me of how important physical touch is to our well-being.

               Jesus was not afraid to extend physical touch to hurting people. I’m sure that not all the people Jesus touched were physically ill. As a case in point, we read in Mark 10:13-16 that Jesus invited children into his presence, took them into his arms, and blessed them. Jesus understood and modeled the power of touch. His touch brought both physical and emotional healing into people’s lives.

               As followers of Christ, we can extend that same healing power to those around us. It has been medically proven that patients who experience physical touch from their doctor and nurses heal much more quickly. We have all experienced the healing power of touch when we have gone through some crisis in our lives. Often an arm around a shoulder is far more comforting than any number of nice words.

               Appropriate touch invites another person into our lives. It opens the door for a connection that most people are longing for. It expresses love and caring in a way that words do not. We are often at a loss for what to say in a time of crisis, but a hand on the shoulder or an embrace can speak for us.        

               Too often we separate our spiritual well-being from the physical world around us. Our faith becomes intellectual but not practical. The Bible challenges us to put feet to our faith. We are instructed to reach out and touch others in a variety of ways. It may mean sharing our resources with them or just spending time with them. We cannot genuinely care for one another at a distance. To care means to get close; to literally touch one another’s lives. If we always keep people at arm’s length, we will always be lonely and disconnected from them.

Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

SEEKING FREEDOM

 

John 8:31-32 (NIV)
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

               Freedom is something that is highly valued by most people. We pride ourselves that we live in the land of the free, although some people don’t feel free. Freedom is something that many people are striving for; a lifelong goal that often seems to be just out of reach. One of the problems with this pursuit of freedom is that we do not all agree on what freedom is and how it can be attained.

               In a superficial way, many people define freedom as the ability to do whatever I want to do. I want to be free to decide what is right and wrong for me. I want to be free to go where I want to go and do what I want to do without restraints. This works for a while until it crashes into an unavoidable barrier.

               Recently there have been several incidents of people who felt that they were free to deface and destroy things in national parks. There was a famous balanced rock that some people felt they were free to push over, even though it had stayed there balanced for hundreds of years. In their efforts to express their freedom they have denied others the freedom to experience something amazing. Several of these freedom seekers have found that their freedom has been taken away because of their actions. There are limits to exercising our freedom.

               The area that we most commonly hear people talk about freedom is morality. People want to be free to define their own morality without having to conform to some outside standard. This has led to the idea that a person is free to engage in sex with anyone that they choose, without ongoing obligations. For the moment this feels like a freeing experience, but in the long run it actually curtails a person’s true freedom. Instead of drawing individuals closer together it objectifies the other person and isolates the freedom seeker. True sexual fulfillment is found not in a sexual free-for-all, but in a long-term, committed relationship.

               To genuinely love another person, we have to give up our independence. Instead of only seeking what makes me happy, I intentionally focus on making the other person happy. A genuine love relationship between a man and a woman is always an exclusive arrangement. I give up my freedom to date others in order to commit myself totally to my spouse. Instead of being confining, this actually becomes liberating and exhilarating. By fully investing in the other person, I become more the person I really want to be.

               Living a totally independent, free life, without obligations to others is actually a kind of slavery. It is slavery to my selfish wants and desires, which become harder and harder to fulfill. C.S. Lewis put it well.

“Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries: avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in the casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.”

               Many people reject Christianity because they believe that it will rob them of their freedom. They begin to list all of the things they will have to give up as an excuse for not believing. Yet, what Jesus offers us is true freedom, not spiritual bondage.

               Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36 (NIV)

               For anything to be truly free, it must live within the boundaries of what it was created for. A fish is truly free only if it is in water. Taken outside of the restraints of the water the fish dies. We were created in the image of God to live in relationship with God and to express his glory. Sin is the rejection of this original design. Sin is the desire to live for my glory and in the way I want to live. But, just like the fish taken out of water, living outside of God’s design does not bring freedom, but death. To be genuinely free, I must live within the boundaries that God has designed.

               Boundaries, rather than taking away our freedom, allow us to exercise our freedom in positive ways. A couple of years ago we took a trip to Norway to visit our exchange student. One day, she took us to a place called Pulpit Rock. It is this amazing, sheer cliff that rises 1,982 feet above the fjord. At the top is a flat top that measures approximately 82 feet square. It takes over 2 hours to climb to the top. On the way up and on the summit, there are no safety fences or barriers. Although many people went right to the edge of the cliff to look down, the absence of safety fences prohibited me from doing the same. If there had been safety fences. I would have felt free to go to the edge, but not without them.

               Many people feel no fear at living life on the edge, but they forget the danger that the edge represents. Living within the spiritual boundaries that God has created allows me to freely experience life without the fear of falling off the edge. I can even explore the boundaries at times because God has provided a safety net for me. If I choose to disregard the boundaries there is not safety net to catch me when I fall. It is a long way down from the top.

               When I place my faith in Jesus, I am free to fully engage with others. I can risk getting involved and even attached. I can explore life with confidence and direction, not aimlessly. Freedom without boundaries is not really freedom, it is anarchy. It sounds great to insist that I am free to do my own thing, until we realize the consequences of giving that same freedom to everyone else. Soon, our selfish freedom will collide with other people’s selfish freedom and result in some pretty unpleasant results. A river that flows within its boundaries is beautiful and beneficial. When it overflows its boundaries, it becomes destructive. The same is true of our individual freedom.

Galatians 5:13 (NIV)
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

GOD, DO YOU SEE ME?

 

Psalms 13:1 (NIV)
How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

               This past Sunday, as I was listening to a sermon on drawing near to God, a simple question entered my mind. God, do you see me? The question is not, God, do you see the world, or humanity in general? The question is, God, do you see ME, as an individual. This is the question that King David often struggled with as he penned the Psalms. It is the question that many of us struggle with personally.

               On one of my trips to Ukraine, during a bus tour of Kiev, our guide broke character to share her personal struggle. “Everything is for the masses! But there is nothing for me.” It is possible for us to struggle spiritually in the same way. God, from our perspective, everything is for the Church, but is there anything for me? Am I just a cog in a spiritual machine, or do I matter to you? The answer to that question is resoundingly positive. Even when we don’t feel it, God has His eyes on each one of use individually.

               Jesus, addressing the issue of worry and concern on our part, tells us that God is intimately aware of who we are and of our needs.  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV) Not only does God see us in the circumstances of our life, He cares about our well-being. Again, Jesus gives us assurance of God’s personal interaction with us.

Matthew 6:28-33 (NIV)
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

               So, what keeps us from seeing God’s activity in our lives? Why do we sometimes feel like God has abandoned us? There is not an easy answer to these questions, but there are some clues for us to explore.

               One reason why we feel like God doesn’t see us is that we have taken our eyes off of God. We allow the circumstances of life to cloud our vision. We set our sights on our own passions and desires, and when they are unfulfilled, we tend to blame God for not caring. We feel most abandoned by God when He doesn’t fulfill our agenda.

               Another reason we may feel abandoned by God is that we have bought into the idea that God is distant, out there somewhere, but not close to us. I have often heard people say things like, I hope God shows up. Or, what if God showed up today. But the reality is that God doesn’t need to show up. He is already present. The truth is that we need to show up. We need to open our eyes and see that God is not distant, but that He is an ever-present help in our time of need. As Paul says, in his letter to the Philippians, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:4-5 (NIV) The reality is not that God has distanced Himself from us, but that we have drawn away from God. James calls us to reverse our direction and intentionally come into the presence of God. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 (NIV)

               We just came through the Christmas season. There is a familiar children’s Christmas song that says that Santa Claus sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. If you think about that, it is kind of creepy. But there is a far more profound person who indeed sees you in every circumstance of life, God.

Psalms 139:1-4 (NIV)
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

               Rather than being creepy, David sees God’s watchfulness as comforting and reassuring. We should as well. God is not unaware of what we are going through. He is not a disinterested bystander. God really does care. So, the answer to the question, “God, do you see me,” is a resounding YES.

               As you read the Bible, you will discover that we are not alone in wondering about God’s care. But what you will discover is that in every situation God is very present and very much actively involved.

Psalms 46:1-3 (NIV)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

LIVING IN A BOX OF OUR OWN MAKING

 

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

               In the main, we like putting things in boxes. We like things in our lives to be neatly tied together with a bow. Most of us struggle with ambiguity and open-endedness. A friend of mine made that clear with the following quip.

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who need closure.

               When things are left hanging, something inside of us screams for closure. What happened? What’s the answer? What happened next? We like things neat and tidy.

               It is natural for us to satisfy our need for closure by putting things in neat boxes. We often do this by putting labels on things. He’s a Republican. She’s a Democrat. He’s narrow minded. She’s bigoted. Putting labels on things categorizes them for us. It puts things in little boxes that we can handle.

               I have been reading G.K. Chesterton’s book “Orthodoxy”. In it, he makes that point that the trend of materialism today is to put everything into neat little boxes. By denying the supernatural, we confine life to the narrow box of determinism. Determinism eliminates mystery by having to explain everything in naturalistic terms. There is a logical explanation for everything that we see and experience. Our emotions are the product of the neurological impulses in our brain caused by specific chemical reactions. Life itself is the product of the evolutionary process. There is nothing at work outside of the natural world in which we live.

               The materialistic view of the world places everything into neat, explainable boxes. There is a certain sense of comfort and security in this. If we can explain something, then, in a sense, we can understand it and control it. In a sense, it becomes “safe.” The problem with the materialistic approach is that it places us in a very small box of our own making. It eliminates mystery and the transcendent.

               Yet, there is something within us that cries out for the transcendent. When materialism is taken to its logical conclusion, it become a straightjacket. We find ourselves confined in a very small box of our own making. Instead of our world expanding, it collapses in on itself. Suddenly, we find it hard to breathe within that box. We clamor for the air of mystery and wonder; of the unexplainable and the transcendent. So, we create fantasy worlds and dabble in a spirituality of our own making. If there is no God, then we will create our own god to fill the void, whether that be art, music, science, politics, or even ourselves.

               As Chesterton points out, materialism eliminates free will. Everything is determined by a set of parameters that are outside of our control. But faith in God actually frees us from the boundaries of this confining box. It opens the door to mystery and wonder. It acknowledges that there are things we cannot know, understand, or control. It also allows us to really think outside of the box. Today, thinking outside of the box only results in another box. But spiritual thinking outside of the box actually opens up an expanding universe without boundaries. Materialism seeks to narrow and confine our world. Faith in God seeks to expand and explode our world.

               The common thinking of our world today is that we exist because of random, causeless events. Because of this, our lives have no ultimate meaning or purpose. We may be able to create some temporary sense of meaning and purpose, but in the end, even those will evaporate with time. The Bible gives us a very different picture. It tells us that we were intentionally created in the image of God with meaning and purpose. The meaning and purpose of our lives transcends the time we have on this earth. As Jesus has said, we have the chance to store up treasures for all of eternity. How we live our lives matters, not just to us, but to God. Therefore, everything we do becomes a conscious choice to either invest in eternity or squander our resources on temporary pleasures.

               Years ago, there was a movie called “The Truman Show.” It was the story of a man who, from birth, was raised in an artificial world. He lived in a totally predetermined world where everything was unchanging, until one day he rebelled and found the door to the outside world. Materialism wants to trap us in “The Truman Show.” Faith in God shows us the door to a much wider and more meaningful world.

               There is a significant difference between facts and truth. Facts tell us what is, but they cannot explain why things are. They create the walls of the boxes that we live within. But truth transcends the facts; it goes beyond the sterile walls of a deterministic world. Truth sets us free to engage with mysteries that will lead us deeper and deeper into God’s unconfined reality.

               Many secular people claim that religion takes away our freedom and confines us. In reality, true faith in God does the exact opposite. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, he explodes the walls of our little, self-made boxes and invites us into the expanse of his amazing reality.

John 8:31-32 (NIV)
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

WHAT IS GROWING IN YOUR GARDEN?

 

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

               I saw an interesting commercial the other day. It began with beautiful scenes of pristine nature. Then it showed pollution being pumped into the water and fouling the environment. The camera panned back and a young woman, who was vaping, came into focus. The tag line was vaping pollutes the beautiful world of your body.

               The point of the commercial was that what we put into our body affects our wellbeing. This is a truth that should be applied not just to the physical things we take into our body but to the emotional and intellectual things we take into our mind.

               In my devotions today, I read a piece by Max Lucado where he equated our heart to a greenhouse garden. The crop that the garden produces is dictated by the seeds that are planted there. Then he asked the question, what seeds are you planting in your heart?

               Solomon warned us long ago to guard our hearts. The heart represents the very core of our being. It is more than just our mind. It is the operating system of our life. Just like in a computer, the operating system controls everything. The output from the operating system is shaped by the data put in.

               Most of us have become more careful about what we eat. We watch the amount of fat and sugar that we consume. If we are diligent in this, it pays off in better physical health. Unfortunately, we are often not as selective about what we allow to come into our minds. We have become used to consuming intellectual junk food. We are bombarded daily with messages that are shaping who we are becoming, and often we don’t see the changes until they become very evident.

               When I was in college, I had a roommate who we very negative. He could find fault in any situation. Nothing seemed to be right in his estimation. Sometime during that year, I developed a similar negative attitude. By the end of the year, if my roommate could not find something to complain about I could. It took me a while to clean out the negative and reset my operating system.

               As followers of Christ, we have to fight hard to swim again to tide of negativism that is so prominent in our society. If we do not guard our heart, we will focus on the wrong things and miss the best things. Paul challenges us to be intentional about what we allow to dominate our thinking.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

               Paul’s words offer us a filter through which to evaluate what we allow into our heart. When confronted by some message we can ask these probing questions. Is this true? Is this noble? Is this right? Is this pure? Is this lovely? Is this admirable? Is this excellent? Is this praiseworthy? If the answer to any of these questions is no, then we need to shut the door to that message. Don’t let it in. Don’t give it space in your garden.

               At the end of Paul’s challenge, he tells us to think about such things. The word we have translated think can also be translated ruminate or meditate on these things. I like that image. If you are like me, you tend to chew on things, especially negative or hurtful things. Paul tells us to change our diet. We need to intentionally chew on the things that will lift us up not the things that will tear us down.

               Let me ask a couple of important questions. What are you intellectually and emotionally consuming on a regular basis? What are you reading or listening to on a pod cast? What are you watching on TV or the internet? What seeds are you planting in your garden?

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

Why be Thankful?

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

               As we approach Thanksgiving Day, it is appropriate for us to ask the question, why should we be thankful?

               Thankfulness is not a natural aptitude for us. It is far more natural to take the blessings of life for granted or as our right. We can fall into the mindset that the blessings that we enjoy are what we deserve. Afterall, that is what the TV commercials tell us. You deserve a new iPhone or you deserve a break today. When we focus on our abilities and our efforts we tend to see the outcome as our right. When we focus on our rights, we tend to expect good things to come our way. Being thankful goes against our natural grain of thinking.

               Paul told the Thessalonians that being thankful was God’s will for their lives. Multiple times in the book of Psalms we are instructed to give thanks to the Lord. Why is being thankful important?

               First and foremost, being thankful reminds us that everything we have and everything we do is a gift from God’s hand.

               As Moses was preparing the people of Israel to enter the Promised Land, he gave them a warning about not being thankful.

Deuteronomy 8:6-18 (NIV)

Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

 

               Moses’ warning is a warning that needs to be reiterated today over and over again. We have placed our trust in our own efforts and in our own progress and we have forgotten the Lord in the process. The reason that we are not thankful is because we believe we have earned everything we have. But we are wrong, extremely wrong. None of us chose our talents and abilities, even though we may have cultivated them. Even the cultivation of our talents and abilities was shaped by circumstances that we had no control over. No matter how “successful” a person has become, their success is a gift from God.

               Why should we be thankful? Because all of life is a gift. The very air that we breathe is a gift from God. The food we eat comes from his hand. He created it in the first place. Our physical bodies are a gift from God. He created us unique in the world; created in his image to reflect his glory into our world. Our ability to take the raw resources of this earth and turn them into good things is a gift from God. He gave us both the raw materials and the capacity to see the potential.

               Why should we be thankful? Because God loves us so much that he sent Jesus into the world to rescue us from our selfishness and pride. He came, not to make our lives better, but to restore the image of God within us.

               Why should we be thankful? Because God had the right to remove his blessing from us, but he didn’t. God had the right to wipe humanity off the face of the earth, but he chose to redeem us instead. God had the right to make our daily lives miserable, but he chose to bless us with everything we need, not just to survive, but to thrive.

               Why should we be thankful? Because, in God’s design, thankfulness is the fulfillment of every pleasure. Thankfulness is the elevation of even small blessings. Thankfulness changes our perspective on our world and on life itself. Thankfulness makes life worth living.

               In our affluent society, we tend to live with constant discontent. Great effort is made every day to place our focus on what we don’t have or what we “deserve.” This Thanksgiving, let us take our eyes off of what we don’t have and focus on the innumerable gifts that God places within our lives every day.

Psalms 103:1-5 (NIV)
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 

What’s the Big Deal?

 

John 3:16-18 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

               One of the criticisms of Christianity is that we are so focused on heaven that we are no earthly good. So, what is the big deal about heaven? Why is that such an important concept for believers in Christ?

               If we see heaven as an escape from this world, then the criticism we get is valid. A person who is only concerned about going to heaven when they die tends to live with blinders on. They focus on the distant future with little regard for present realities. But that is not the essence of our faith in eternity. In fact, those who are most convinced about eternity are the most invested in the present.

               We live in a secular world that has convinced millions of people that we are just evolutionary accidents. There is no ultimate meaning in life. Any meaning that we have we create for ourselves. Yet this flies in the face of how people actually live. Most people live as if there is some undefined ultimate standard to which all people are subject. True relativism crumbles when a person must make decisions regarding what is right and wrong in life. As soon as a person says that some things are right and others are wrong, they are appealing to some universal standard of morality. They may not be able to articulate where that standard comes from, but they believe in it.

               Tim Keller, in his book The Reason for God, gives the illustration of a woman who strongly contends that all morality is culturally based and shaped by the dominant culture. Yet she also believes that women’s rights are universal and must be upheld in every culture. When asked what she bases her conviction upon, she responds that everyone knows that abusing women and children in wrong. She is appealing to some universal standard of morality.

               So, what does that have to do with a belief in eternity? It makes all the difference in the world. If a person believes that their life will be judged by an ultimate standard in eternity, it shapes how they live their present life. The Christian belief is eternity is not just some pie-in-the-sky hope of eternal bliss. It is a realistic understanding that how we live our lives here on earth matters. It upholds the idea that all human actions will one day be judged, whether good or bad. It acknowledges that if judged on the scales of eternity, we will all fall short, but that through faith in Jesus the scales will be tipped to our advantage. In response to this, a true believer strives to align his or her life with God’s ultimate standards. Not as a way to earn salvation, but as a response to what Jesus has already done for them.

               When a person lives their life without any hope of eternity, it also changes everything. If the seventy or eighty years on earth that a person gets is all that there is, why wouldn’t that person leverage everything for their advantage. Selfishness is the natural and normal consequence of a denial of eternity. Even seemingly selfless actions are calculated to bring some advantage to the person. It may enhance their self-esteem or raise their profile with others. But taken to its logical conclusion, it really doesn’t make a difference. If when we die physically, we disappear, then it really doesn’t matter how I live my life in the present.

               Evolutionary philosophy teaches us that we are all just accidents of the evolutionary process. In every aspect of this process, survival of the fittest is the name of the game. Yet, when we look at human beings, we balk at the idea of survival of the fittest. We contend that the poor, the vulnerable, the disadvantaged need to be cared for, but why? On what basis are we claiming that this should be true?

               On the other hand, Christianity teaches us that how we treat one another matters. All human beings are created in the image of God and are of value. Everyone deserves respect and care, regardless of their social, ethnic, or physical status. Because we believe that this life is the prelude to eternity, we take this life more seriously. A person who believes in a God of justice will work for justice in the here and now. A person who believes in a God of creation will take managing this creation more seriously. A person who believes in a God who cares about every individual will make ever effort to care for those around them.

               We Christians have not always had a great track record in some of these areas. That is not the fault of our belief in eternity. It is that we have not taken our belief in eternity seriously enough. Because we believe that God exists and will judge every person according to their life, we need to take how we live this life seriously. What we do today matters for all of eternity.

               Historically, those who have the strongest belief in eternity have made the greatest contributions to the present. Those who believe in eternity have been willing to make enormous personal sacrifices for others. Those who believe in eternity have put enormous effort into raising the status of the abused, marginalized, and abandoned.

               So, what’s the big deal about eternity? Without a belief in eternity all of life ultimately becomes meaningless. With a belief in eternity all of life becomes sacred and of great consequence.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.