PREPARING TO LIVE
Preparing to Live
Christopher B. Harbin
Josh 24:1-3a, 14-25; Am 5:18-24; Mt 25:1-13; 1Th 4:13-18
What do we live for? A recent Religious Herald article says Americans spent more on initial sales of the new version of the Grand Theft Auto video game than the entire annual budget of the International Mission Board--this in an economy that has turned sour. Baptists contribute less per capita to missions than during the Great Depression. That tells us something about our priorities. When all is said and done, the Great Commission does not much to us. God's purposes are not so important to us. We would rather live for the temporal pursuits of entertainment and leisure, than preparing to live for eternity with God. We need to prepare ourselves to live for eternity, rather than for the moment.
Yesterday's Fall Festival was a success. It was not so much the money that we raised, but the contact we established through it with families in the community. I talked with three different families who shared an interest in returning here for worship. The event opened doors for us. It was a lot of work. Someone stated that it would have been simpler for everyone to just make out a check for $70.00 and be done with it! That would indeed be easier. It would be simpler and less work for us to become financially responsible as a church. Too many do not contribute their share to church finances, forcing others to take up the slack. That is only the surface issue, however. The underlying issue is how we invest our time, energy, and resources for eternity. What is the goal for which we are preparing to live?
Some live as if life on earth is all there is. They claim to be Christians. They claim membership in a church. They may even hold positions in a church. Their lives, however, display that they are living for here and now, or a few years down the road. They refuse to invest their lives in preparation for eternity with God.
Joshua led the people out ...
Christopher B. Harbin
Josh 24:1-3a, 14-25; Am 5:18-24; Mt 25:1-13; 1Th 4:13-18
What do we live for? A recent Religious Herald article says Americans spent more on initial sales of the new version of the Grand Theft Auto video game than the entire annual budget of the International Mission Board--this in an economy that has turned sour. Baptists contribute less per capita to missions than during the Great Depression. That tells us something about our priorities. When all is said and done, the Great Commission does not much to us. God's purposes are not so important to us. We would rather live for the temporal pursuits of entertainment and leisure, than preparing to live for eternity with God. We need to prepare ourselves to live for eternity, rather than for the moment.
Yesterday's Fall Festival was a success. It was not so much the money that we raised, but the contact we established through it with families in the community. I talked with three different families who shared an interest in returning here for worship. The event opened doors for us. It was a lot of work. Someone stated that it would have been simpler for everyone to just make out a check for $70.00 and be done with it! That would indeed be easier. It would be simpler and less work for us to become financially responsible as a church. Too many do not contribute their share to church finances, forcing others to take up the slack. That is only the surface issue, however. The underlying issue is how we invest our time, energy, and resources for eternity. What is the goal for which we are preparing to live?
Some live as if life on earth is all there is. They claim to be Christians. They claim membership in a church. They may even hold positions in a church. Their lives, however, display that they are living for here and now, or a few years down the road. They refuse to invest their lives in preparation for eternity with God.
Joshua led the people out ...
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