Where’s Your Focus?

Investing in Eternity

"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

It has been said that in order to know how rich we are, we can add up everything in our lives that money cannot buy and death cannot take away. These, our true riches, will last forever, while everything else is temporary and will pass away. Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Our devotion to Christ and His kingdom can be measured by the degree to which we invest what God has given us: money, material possessions, time, natural talents, opportunities and relationships.
Jesus spoke not only about heavenly ''treasure," but about heavenly "labor." He fed more than
five thousand people on a Galilean mountainside. The masses continued to follow Him, for they saw in Him a way to have their physical needs met. It was on that occasion that Jesus exhorted His disciples with these words: "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because the Father has set His seal of approval on Him" (John 6:27).
A man was studying to become a civil engineer in order to build highways and bridges. In time he discovered 2 Peter 3:10, where God promises that one day He will destroy everything the man hoped to build. Not wanting to invest his life in something God will surely destroy, he gave up engineering and entered the ministry.
The Bible speaks of two things that will endure forever: the Word of God and the souls of people. A life spent in the service of Jesus Christ on behalf of people, bringing the Word of God to them, will ensure reward in heaven. Our task as Christians is to help populate heaven by sharing the
gospel. We lay up treasure in heaven anytime we lead people to Jesus Christ, and whenever we minister to them in His name. "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42). We can
do nothing greater to ensure that heavenly treasure will be credited to our account.
Only in heaven will we know the extent to which we have impacted others for Christ. As we lay up treasure in heaven, may we be able to say, like the Apostle Paul, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy" (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).
Redemptive Ministry

"He has sent redemption to His people." Psalm 111:9

A Christian should regard every human relationship as "redemptive." He or she must want the other person to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Jesus' life was focused upon the kingdom of God and the needs of people. He showed us how
to make redemptive ministry a way of life. The manner in which we do this depends upon a number of factors: our spiritual gifts, the desires of our heart, our willingness to confront people with the gospel and the opportunities that come along.
We are engaged in redemptive ministry whenever we talk to people about Jesus Christ- when we
exhort them to read the Bible, invite them to church or pray for them. We are behaving in a redemptive manner when we help the impoverished, encourage the fainthearted, visit the sick, lonely and imprisoned; and when we extend other acts of kindness in the name of Jesus.
But redemptive ministry is more than just performing certain acts. There is a redemptive aspect to
simply living an obedient Christian life that others can see. The expression, "lifestyle evangelism," conveys the meaning of redemptive ministry. Our goal is to win people to Christ, but we seldom begin by sharing the gospel. Rather, we befriend people and develop relationships with them. It is out of these relationships that we gain opportunities to share Jesus Christ.
"But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So,
affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:7, 8).
In one way or another, we should always be about the business of pointing people toward Jesus.