Living for Heaven

 

"We serve God wherever we are, knowing He has put us there."

There cannot be a better service than service to the Lord. Though it's true that there are many ways to work and volunteer, none of those ways are best if they are done apart from intentional, devoted service to God. It's better to be a night janitor in service to Christ than a real estate mogul in service to self. Christians should be more desirous of serving in secret to earn a reward from the Father than to flaunt service before others for the praise or payment of men (Matthew 6:1-6).

Consider the apostle Paul's charge to the church at Corinth: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord," (1 Corinthians 15:58). The conclusion after considering the infinite value of Christ's resurrection was that His people are to be unmoved from their work for Him, knowing that it's not pointless, futile, or subject to fading away. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes understood that his work was vain because his earthly service would be inherited by another who would squander it (Ecclesiastes 2:18-23, 6:1-2); not so for the Christian!

The church must be consumed with the heavenly mindset that causes each of us to make decisions today in light of eternity. Our work for God on earth has ramifications for our life with Him hereafter. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal," Jesus tells us. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matthew 6:19-21).

Our treasure is with the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all of the riches of knowledge and wisdom are hidden (Colossians 2:3). Also hidden in Him are our lives (Colossians 3:3); so much so, that the next verse says He is our life. What a marvelous thought: our Lord and Savior, who is our life, possesses the greatest riches, and calls us to store up our riches with Him at the right hand of God.

So, how shall we then live? We must entrust our work to Him, and we must do that by entrusting our lives to Him. He will guard our life and work until the day of redemption (2 Timothy 1:12), when we will receive our inheritance and reward for service that pleased Him.