Where's Your Thinking?

Read Colossians 3

A general stood before his troops just before the battle was to take place, seeking to stir his cavalry to fight well in the imminent battle against the enemy. Addressing his troops, he challenges them to give their very best. He makes this profound statement: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” These words from a fictional military leader convey a powerful concept that is of particular significance to believers in Christ. Our General is standing before us urging us on to activate our life in a way that will have a positive affect on eternity. We are not accidents. We are not inanimate objects. We are not just taking up time and space on a rock that’s floating in the universe. We are here with the opportunity to make an eternal difference with our lives.
Jesus said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:20). Where we place our desires, agendas, dreams and goals will dictate how we translate our life into eternity. Too many people live their lives with a nihilistic, hopeless attitude that makes the statement, “I’m not really cut out for this.” Or, “You may want to find someone else to make a difference because what I have to offer will never change anyone’s life.” Having the perspective of living for eternity can make all the difference in this world.
Colossians lets us know how to have the proper perspective on life. If we have all of our focus on things above, or on His things, everything else will fall into place. How can we learn to set our minds “on things above”? A good way to begin is to discover what our eternal God values. Throughout the pages of the Bible, He reminds us that He values people above possessions and our character above our performance. Those are the truths that last forever. Embracing them can bring an eternal perspective to our daily living.
Take a moment to look into the mirror of your life and begin to see all of those things that God has allowed you to experience, both good and bad, and begin to see how your responses activated eternity. Did your first step toward God usher your family into a relationship with Him? Did your loving parental actions lead your children to be strong, independent leaders? How about the fingerprints you’ve placed on the body of Christ? Everything we do in the moment echoes into eternity.

“The awful importance of this life is that it determines eternity.”
- William Barclay