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Our brief lives soon give way to eternal joy with Jesus
Justin Huffman
“The appointed time has grown very short … For the present form
of this world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29, 31).
Therefore, every
day that passes is God drawing the earth closer to its eventual and inevitable
conclusion.
And not only is
this world finite, but our individual time on it is more limited still.
As James reminds
us, our life is like “mist,” here and then quickly gone.
The Bible in fact
repeatedly confronts us with the reality of our finitude.
In fact, quite the
opposite is true.
Our brief lives
soon give way to eternal joy with Jesus.
Paul writes in Romans 13:11, “The hour has come for you to
wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first
believed.”
On one hand, death
is “salvation” for believers in Christ!
Our brief lives
soon give way to eternal joy with Jesus.
Every time we look in the mirror and see new wrinkles, or
thinning hair, we should say to ourselves with a thrill in our voice, “My
salvation is getting nearer!”
Yet, the approach
of death should still “wake” us out of a drowsy, sleep-walking way of
living.
It should remind us
that the light of eternity shines through our temporary lives, infusing them
with permanence and purpose!
Living for Jesus
Christ infuses our short, temporary lives with eternal significance.
What a bigness and
richness this gives our seemingly little decisions, daily duties, and mundane
tasks!
Every moment of
waiting patiently for God, every sacrifice made in order to serve God, every
labor expended in order to serve others in Jesus’ name — is a beam of God’s
eternal glory breaking through into this temporary world.
We live our lives
best when we live for eternity rather than for the temporary.
If you make your
life all about chasing happiness, or avoiding pain, or getting more stuff —
none of these can bear the weight of eternity.
We love our wife or
husband best when we love them in light of eternity; we face grief best, and we
enjoy joy the most, when we emote in light of eternity; we use material things
best when we handle them in light of eternity.
None of these
things are bad in and of themselves: marriage, or grief, or happiness, or
possessions. But when anything temporary is made the foundation of your
existence, your life will inevitably topple over in ruins.
Only the eternal
kingdom of Christ is a strong enough foundation to hold everything else in your
life up and in place.
Ultimately, life is
not about being married or being single; it is not about seeking thrills or
avoiding pain; it is not about obtaining things or giving up things.
It is about using
the temporary gift of this life — with all its joys and sorrows and
relationships and opportunities — to the glory of Jesus Christ.
Life is short!
Every sunset is one less day we have here, so we dare not waste a single
moment.
Yet, the light of
eternity shines through our temporary lives on earth, each day that we live for
Jesus Christ.
Meet
Justin
I am a
Christian, husband, papa, pastor, and author—and thankful to God for each.
A
graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary, I ministered in the States for over
15 years and recently moved to Toronto to be lead pastor at Morningstar
Christian Fellowship—a church of over 70 ethnicities, located in one of the
most diverse communities in the world. I have traveled to every continent
except Antarctica—because, as my youngest son has observed, penguins don’t need
the gospel. My wife Chau and I have four children: Edmond (from Russia), Ransom
and Avery (from Vietnam), and Eva (from Arkansas).
I have
contributed articles to For the Church, Servants of Grace, Gospel-Centered Discipleship, Fathom Magazine, Dead Men,
and Third Millennium. My writing has
been featured on The Gospel Coalition, Challies.com, ThomRainer.com, and
Christianity.com, among others. I authored Grow:
the Command to Every Expanding Joy, and my most recent book Adorned: How to Grow a Biblically Beautiful Church was
released in October 2018. I also publish Daily Devotion, which is now
a top-rated iTunes/Android app
with over half a million downloads.
My
passion is to help people see the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for
daily living. If you see the need for that in your life then—please linger here
awhile, look around, enjoy the resources, and share them with others. You can
also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
