Hope

Sweet Reunion

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Often times on this Earth, reunions are looked forward to with dread. High school and college reunions, even family reunions hold the foreboding sense of seeing people we once knew and not measuring up to their expectations. As a result reunions often motivate people to make changes in their lives – to kick bad habits, eat more healthily, change their appearance or pursue the dream that they have been ignoring. Knowing that they will “give an account” to people from whom they have been separated for a time, inspires many to alter the course of their lives so that others will not think that the time apart has been wasted.

Christians live their lives in anticipation of a reunion of a different sort – a day where we will be reunited with those in Christ who have departed this Earth in order to join Him in glory. Scripture tells us that this reunion should motivate us too – because as we look to the lives that they lived and the sinless state they know enjoy, we should eagerly work to “throw off” the sin the entangles us now (Heb. 12:1). We should be inspired to live more fully for Christ, not because we fear what they will think of us when we meet them again, but because we anticipate sharing in the glory they now enjoy and we recognize that they, as will we, consider every sacrifice for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom well worth it. Our reunion with them is not one that is imbued with dread, but instead it will be filled with sweetness as we celebrate the work of Christ in each of our lives and enjoy the beauty and awe of being with Him.

It is understandable why so many reunions on this Earth cause consternation and despair. It is often difficult to measure up to what others think of us or the impression we want others to have of our lives. However, we would be better served to focus more on our future reunion – the one we will have with those in Christ we have gone before.  Not only will it help keep things here on Earth in perspective, but it will remind us of just one part of the sweetness of Heaven that we will one day enjoy.

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Growth

On the Edge of Eternity

We’ve all heard of those moments where someone’s life flashes before their eyes. They get an unexpected diagnosis or providentially escape from what seems like a certain accident, and they realize that what they have been living for is not nearly as significant as what they should be living for. It’s in those moments that people began to count the costs of their decisions, to question whether their quest for temporal success and accolades are worth the sacrifices and compromises that they have made.

Christians, however, shouldn’t wait until those near-miss moments in order to consider whether their lives are focused on the right things, on the eternal things.  As A.W. Tozer reminds us:

We who live in this nervous age would be wise to meditate on our lives and our days long and often before the face of God and on the edge of eternity. For we are made for eternity as surely as we are made for time, and as responsible moral beings we must deal with both.

In other words, as much as we are apt to spend considerable time and effort dealing with the cares and concerns of this present age, we should spend at least equal time contemplating our lives in light of God’s perspective. Our lives are one unexpected moment away from standing before our Creator. We would be wise to not only recognize that fact, but to make choices and decisions accordingly.

We live on the edge of eternity. The question is – do our calendars, cares, and character reflect that fact?

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