Reality is more real today for me than it has ever been in all of the decades preceding the present. Losing the wife of my youth (Proverbs 5:18), as well as growing old (Psalm 90:10), has transformed my thinking from a focus on my worldly existence to the otherworldly pursuit to be with God for eternity in His house. That is, what really matters has changed from the consideration of temporal stuff to eternal things. For the past 45 years, I thought I was seeking “first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33), but I see more clearly now than ever before. To the best of my ability, everything that I think or propose to do I filter through the lenses of a consciousness of whose servant I am, from where I have come and to where I relentlessly purpose to go eternally.
The child of God ought to be ever alert to the fact that he or she is a Christian. We must be consistently vigilant to discipline our minds that they, as well as our actions, conform to the biblical instruction of the New Testament. To the Bible the children of God need to appeal—daily—for divine guidance (Psalm 119:105). Resorting to God’s Word as a fixer upper or to effect damage control after acting out of sync with Bible teaching is unprofitable and a misuse of Scripture.
Organizing a person’s thoughts and activities throughout one’s daily waking moments to correspond with God’s mandates is also a precursor to orderliness during slumber. Whatever it is with which a man or a woman fills his or her mind (Philippians 4:8) throughout the day has a way of seeping into his or her dreams where there exists less conscious inhibition. Whether awake or asleep, the Christian is God’s man or God’s woman.
Wearing spiritual glasses, the earnest Christian sees his family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and others for the precious (Matthew 16:26), God-given souls (Ecclesiastes 12:7) that they possess. He or she is no less aware of the invaluable soul within him or her. The loyal child of God works toward the eternal redemption of his or her own soul (John 2:7; Acts 2:40) as well as for the spiritual welfare of others, too (Mark 16:15-16; James 5:19-20).
With resolve and determination, the militant Christian will settle for nothing less that traversing the pilgrim pathway (Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11) that leads to the heavenly horizon on which his eyes are constantly trained. He marches without either pause or detour toward that city “whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Along the way, the attentive Christian will help faltering saints resume their trek heavenward as well as pull sinners from the ditches of sin on either side of the pilgrim road. Together, they will not be deterred from entering the pearly white gates of Heaven and strolling upon its streets of gold (Revelation 21:21).
There is no greater purpose for one’s life than to persevere in one’s Christian walk (Ephesians 4:1; 5:8) so that he or she can commune with God-the-Father, God-the-Son and God-the-Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) for eternity. Imagine having the angelic host for neighbors (Luke 15:10). Contemplate spending forever amidst the redeemed of all ages (Revelation 7:9). Let’s go to Heaven and take as many with us as we are able to persuade with the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 5:10-11). Nothing else matters as much as where we spend eternity. That is the reality about which we need to concern ourselves.
