• Living In The Light Of Eternity

    By: Kristen L. McNulty



    I'm going to ask you to do something that we don't often do. I'm going to ask you right now to visualize your funeral. Who is there? What is being said?

    Is it a packed room, filled to the max with people whose lives you've touched?

    Or is it rather sparse, filled with people there out of obligation who are desperately trying to find something profound to say about you?

    Most of us will picture the packed room with amazing speeches and stories about how you changed the world during your short time on earth. But while most of us picture that, many of us live in such a way that we set ourselves up for an empty room and people with very few things to say about us.

    Am I saying the goal of your life is to make sure you do enough to get a great funeral? Absolutely not. Because the truth is you won't even be there to hear it. But while your family and friends are sitting there remembering your life, you are going to be very much alive in another place, answering for the kind of life you lived.

    This life isn't all there is. One day when you breathe your last breath here on earth that won't be the end of your story. You will be brought to stand before the very God who created you and He's going to go over a few things with you. First, your beliefs. In John 5:24 Jesus said "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life."

    So let me ask you, who have you put your faith in? Yourself? Your wealth? Your possessions? Your job? The Bible tells us very clearly that the only faith that is going to matter on that day is the faith that was placed in Jesus Christ.

    The second thing that you'll go over is what you did with your life. Did you waste it on pursuits that only gave you pleasure? Or did you pour out your life to reach out to the poor, the sick, the dying, and those who don't know Christ?

    In Matthew chapter 25 we're told exactly what happens on Judgement day. We're all going to stand before God and we will be separated into two groups. Those who did what He asked of us and those who didn't. Here's what He will say to those who did:

    "'Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

    Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

    And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'"     (Matthew 25:34-40)

    So what is going to be said about you?

    The truth is not one of us knows how many days left we have to live. But all of us know that what we do with those days matters. So here is my request of you- don't wait. Don't wait until you reach the end to regret what you didn't do. Don't wait until the opportunity passed you by to realize what could have been. You have today and what you do with today matters, not only for this life, but for the life to come!

    It's my prayer for you and for me that we would be the kind of people who place our complete faith in Jesus and live our life like every person we come into contact with is Him and every encounter we have is the opportunity to show Him love. It's not an easy way to live, but in light of eternity, it is the only way to live.

    Are you ready to change your world? To change your life story and possibly the lives of countless others? Then don't wait. Start today what will matter for eternity!

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

    Return To The Impact Devotional Archive