Live For What
Lasts
September 16, 2016 Friday Twenty-Fourth Week of Year II
The
Responsorial (Psalm 17) is a profession of hope: “Lord, when your glory appears my joy will be full.”
In
1Corinthians 15:12 -20 Paul puts things pretty bluntly: “If
our hopes in Christ are limited to this life only, we are the most pitiable of
all people.” Would you say that? About yourself?
How
much practical difference does the resurrection of Jesus make to you? Are most
of your daily choices, and all of the important ones, influenced by the expectation
that you are going to enjoy life after death?
By
way of comparison: If you are married, does that make a difference to you on a
daily basis? Are you aware of it every day? Are most of your choices, and all
of the important ones, influenced by the fact that you are married?
How
about your job: How much difference would it make to you if you didn’t have it?
Are you aware of it every day? How many of your choices are influenced by the
work you do? If you lost your job would you see yourself as “the most pitiable
of all people?
Now
ask how many of your choices are influenced by the fact that you are a
Christian. And how many choices that you make as a Christian are determined by
and depend on your belief that you are going to rise from the dead?
When
we take Paul’s words — or any words of Scripture — seriously, they can raise
challenging questions.
Luke 8:1-3 tells us what
Jesus did on a daily basis. He “journeyed through towns and villages, preaching
and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.” Matthew adds “and curing
every disease and every sickness among the people.”[1]
Except for the cures it doesn’t sound all that exciting. But the twelve men he
had chosen stayed with him, “as well as some women who had been cured of evil
spirits and infirmities… and many others, who provided for them out of their
resources.”
Why?
What were they getting out of it? One of the twelve, Peter, said to Jesus,
“Look, we have left our homes and followed you.” Jesus answered, “Truly I tell
you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or
children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much
more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”[2]
If
any of us left house or spouse or parents or children to work at establishing
the Kingdom, then found out there was no life after death, we might agree that
we were “the most pitiable of all people.” Because nothing in our life would
make sense if “our hopes in Christ were limited to this life only.” We would be
living totally for him.
The
solution is to live totally for Jesus and the kingdom now, without physically
leaving “house or spouse or children” but directing everything we do at home
and at work toward establishing the reign of God on earth. This is stewardship.
Initiative: Be a steward. Give everything
to God; then manage it for him.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave your comments!