A Hundred Years from Now . . .

We are already nine days into 2015.  So, how are you coming along with your New Year’s resolutions?  The gyms are full, and our fridges are stocked with salads as we try to remedy the mistakes of 2014 with better health and fitness.  January is often a month of renewal as we use the stillness of a quiet schedule to reflect how our daily decisions affect the overall direction of our lives.

 

One area—in fact, the most important area--of our lives that is worthy of serious reflection is our spiritual welfare.  Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”  In today’s vernacular:  What shall it profit us, if we live healthy, productive, successful lives but forfeit the eternal significance of our existence? 

 

Our church often receives calls for assistance, and we are thankful for each opportunity to share Christ’s love with those in need—no matter how small our effort may seem.  We have a stipulation, though, for receiving assistance from our church:  You have to come to a service.  We don’t hand out hundred dollar bills on the street corner.  As I often tell the callers, “A hundred years from now, it will not matter to you that we provided a bag of groceries or helped you with this electric bill.  But it will matter to you that we shared the Gospel with you.”   The question lingers for each of us:  A hundred years from now, what choices will you wish you had made today? 

 

The answer to that is found in a simple phrase that will change your life:  “The daily presence of Christ.”  Too often, Christ is given weekend status.  He is a “Sunday God,” only to be shut back up into silence for the rest of the week.  Letting Christ rule our lives Monday – Saturday, and not just for a few hours on Sunday, will determine the choices we make.  And a hundred years from now, we will not be disappointed. 

 

There are several simple ways to let Christ’s presence rule our lives each day.  I hope these can be an encouragement to you.

 

1.  Study God’s Word each day. 

 

Whether you read through the entire Bible or just a few books this year, there is no such thing as “failure” if you are reading the Bible each day!  In teaching our own children how to study the Bible, Jason tells them to “find the verb.”  (The verb is the action part of a sentence.)  If you are struggling to understand the Bible, maybe it will help to start looking for the verb.  It will help you to find the meaning of each verse more quickly. 

 

2.  Take it to God.

 

 It is easy to get very self-absorbed, either by our perceived successes or our troubles.  Either way, the best way to sense the daily presence of Christ is to take everything to the Lord.  Give Him the credit when things go right; give Him the burden of fixing things when they don’t.   The apostle Paul said, “Pray without ceasing.”  We don’t live with our heads bowed and eyes closed, but we ought to live with a constant conversation in our hearts to the Lord.  When a parking space opens up just in time—thank the Lord!  When the bill is higher than expected—take it to the Lord!  Conversation with God helps us to recognize His daily presence with us. 

 

3.  Spend time with people who love the Lord. 

 

Most people think “church” = “sermon.”  But there is so much more to church than the message.  Hebrews 10:24 tells us that part of our purpose in attending church faithfully is to encourage other people.  Proverbs tells us that “iron sharpeneth iron.”  Christians who love the Lord and walk with Him have a way of sharpening the walk of those around them.  We spend much of our lives getting battered by the world and its unbiblical philosophy.  Time spent with Christians who have been in the Savior’s presence all week is a precious gift!  Value other Christians.  Value church attendance. 

 

4.  Make every decision count for the Lord.

 

We are faced with choices and ideas every day.  The internet is bulging with “human device,” most of it stemming from a worldview that runs counter to God’s view.  The question that rescues us from slipping into worldly thinking is this:  “Where is that in the Bible?”  Brimming with principles and illustrations, the Bible is our foundation.  Every idea we read, every blog we skim through, every venture we consider ought to be tempered with that question in the back of our minds:  “Where is this in the Bible?”   

 

Many online authors these days want to delve more into psychology than the Bible, as though the Bible is not practical for every day life.  The authors are missing something:   The Bible is practical.   When the Bible seems out of reach of my daily struggles, the problem isn’t with the Bible.  The problem is with the reader:  me.  God really does want to teach us how to raise children, how to keep our marriages thriving, and how to handle our money judiciously; and His instruction manual is the Bible.   The daily presence of Christ changes us when we give God His due platform:  a constant awareness of how His Word addresses our daily lives.   

 

Let Christ be the center of each day, and a hundred years from now, He will be the central story of your life.