A Moment Away From Eternity
I have been Interim Senior Pastor here at Ancient City Baptist Church for just over one year now. The Lord has done so many wonderful things here over this past year. I am not writing about those things today. Today I am writing about something else. Today I am writing about the edge of eternity that each and every one of us exist on perpetually every moment of our lives.
You're probably asking, "What brought this on?" The answer is that I have led funeral services for nine people this year and three people in the past two weeks. You really can learn a lot about someone once they have passed away. You learn about what they dedicated their life to and what those around them loved about them. When I stand at the pulpit looking out at the congregation I realize that everyone in that church is thinking the same thing: Life is a gift and death is really only a moment away. It really is quite troubling to see someone alive one day and than to see them dead another. Death is an event that is entirely unnatural for us. Do you think it is because we were not created to die?
All of us no matter what our age are really standing on the edge of eternity. Our bodies are fragile and our world is filled with opportunities for death to come. We all have a limited amount of time and as a moment is really a short period of time it can be said that we all really have a limited number of moments. Who knows what the next moment will bring. What we are remembered for is captured by what we have done in a lifetime of moments. Who would have thought that what you and I are doing in this moment would be something for which we would be remembered!
The moments of our lives can seem so insignificant and we are all to often guilty of letting them pass away as we stare blankly at our Hi Def TVs, laptops, and Ipads. I have visited quite a few people who were older in age and let me tell you something that I have never heard. I have never heard someone mention that he should have worked more, made more money, watched more T.V, or spent less time ministering for the Lord or with family. As we sense that our moments of life become less and less it becomes obvious what is valuable. It soon becomes obvious that our relationship with the Lord is of utmost importance and that our ministry to our families and church take a close second.
James writes, "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." - James 4:14. Our life, which is characterized by a series of moments, is too short to measure within the scope of eternity. We all stand at the edge of that eternity; a moment away. Now that your focus has been shifted away from your T.V., laptop, or Ipad, let me ask you something. Standing and looking into eternity from what could be the last moment of your life; what are you doing in this moment? We are all a moment away from eternity. What will you do in this moment?
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21
You're probably asking, "What brought this on?" The answer is that I have led funeral services for nine people this year and three people in the past two weeks. You really can learn a lot about someone once they have passed away. You learn about what they dedicated their life to and what those around them loved about them. When I stand at the pulpit looking out at the congregation I realize that everyone in that church is thinking the same thing: Life is a gift and death is really only a moment away. It really is quite troubling to see someone alive one day and than to see them dead another. Death is an event that is entirely unnatural for us. Do you think it is because we were not created to die?
All of us no matter what our age are really standing on the edge of eternity. Our bodies are fragile and our world is filled with opportunities for death to come. We all have a limited amount of time and as a moment is really a short period of time it can be said that we all really have a limited number of moments. Who knows what the next moment will bring. What we are remembered for is captured by what we have done in a lifetime of moments. Who would have thought that what you and I are doing in this moment would be something for which we would be remembered!
The moments of our lives can seem so insignificant and we are all to often guilty of letting them pass away as we stare blankly at our Hi Def TVs, laptops, and Ipads. I have visited quite a few people who were older in age and let me tell you something that I have never heard. I have never heard someone mention that he should have worked more, made more money, watched more T.V, or spent less time ministering for the Lord or with family. As we sense that our moments of life become less and less it becomes obvious what is valuable. It soon becomes obvious that our relationship with the Lord is of utmost importance and that our ministry to our families and church take a close second.
James writes, "What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." - James 4:14. Our life, which is characterized by a series of moments, is too short to measure within the scope of eternity. We all stand at the edge of that eternity; a moment away. Now that your focus has been shifted away from your T.V., laptop, or Ipad, let me ask you something. Standing and looking into eternity from what could be the last moment of your life; what are you doing in this moment? We are all a moment away from eternity. What will you do in this moment?
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:21
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