What You Can Take With You Into Eternity
We’ve all heard it said that no one has ever seen a hearse towing a trailer. We’ve all been challenged to consider that we leave this world as we entered it—with empty hands. As Job exclaimed in the depths of his misery, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.” But as J.R. Miller reminds us in this old quote, there actually is one thing we can take with us.
There are virtues, fruits of character, treasures, spoils of moral conquests which men carry with them out of this world.
Someone says, “The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried, is character.” This is true. What a man is survives him. It never can be buried.
His character lingers about his home when his footsteps come there no more. It lives in the community where he was known. And that same thing—what a man is—he carries with him into the next life. Money and rank and circumstances and earthly gains, he leaves behind him, but his character, he takes with him into eternity!
That being the case, perhaps you should ponder this today: How are you shaping your character? How are you shaping and forming that one thing that you will take with you into eternity?
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Why Do Billionaires Want to Live Forever?
Why is it that billionaires always seem to want to live forever? Why is it that the 1% of the 1% almost always seem to veer from their core businesses into attempts to prolong their lives indefinitely? Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is invested in Altos Labs which is attempting a kind of “biological reprogramming” to extend lifespans. Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page were instrumental in launching a business called “Calico” which is carrying out studies that may eradicate all disease. PayPal’s Peter Thiel is a big supporter of the Methuselah Mouse Prize foundation which means to dramatically improve health and longevity. Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin has decided it’s likely that people born today will live to the age of 3,000 and is already participating in experimental treatments he believes may slow his body’s aging.1
Why is it that so many billionaires seem so intent on extending their lives beyond the promised threescore and ten? Could it be that all their wealth has made their lives so amazing that they simply can’t bear the thought of dying? Could it be that their massive yachts, their luxury mansions, their ability to buy anything their hearts desire, has given them such satisfaction that they want to enjoy it forever? Could it be that they have unlocked the key to a satisfaction so deep that it’s only right to extend it indefinitely?
I suppose it’s possible, but I tend to think there’s another factor at play. I, after all, have read Solomon, the ancient-day equivalent of these modern-day billionaires—a man who had everything the human heart could ever desire. I have read his Song and his Proverbs and his Ecclesiastes. And from his inspired words I have gained some important perspective.
Why is it that billionaires always seem to want to live forever? I am convinced it isn’t because their lives are so satisfying but because their lives are so very dissatisfying. I am convinced it isn’t because their hearts are so full but because their hearts are so very empty. In 40 or 50 years they have risen to the highest ranks of humanity when measured by wealth, but have found there are some things money cannot buy.
They have attempted to leverage their money and power to increase their happiness. Women have been used and found wanting. The finest real estate has been added to their personal portfolio, but an extra 10 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms has not satisfied the restlessness of their hearts. They’ve owned fast cars and grand yachts, hobnobbed with royalty and celebrity, been cheered for their philanthropy and lauded for their generosity. And yet as they lay awake in the dark watches of the night, their hearts are still not at rest. As they stare at the vaulted ceilings high above their beds they still wonder “isn’t there more than this?”
They, like us, consider near escapes from deadly accidents or skirmishes with serious illnesses and know it could have all come crashing down. They, like us, hear the ticking of the clock that signals the end. And how do they respond? They respond by doubling down. They want more time to search for anything that will satisfy the longing of their hearts—more money, more women, more cars, more mansions, more plaudits, more power. More, more, more. And to explore that, they need more time, more years, more longevity.
The difference between them and Solomon is simply one of honesty. Solomon had experienced the very heights of what the world can offer and, rather than doubling down, had the integrity to say “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” He had the insight to say “All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” He had the understanding, after accumulating all the treasures of the ancient world, to say “Behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
Solomon was a man who had deep passions, a restless heart, and many serious flaws. Yet he had the wisdom to know that God has put eternity into our hearts so that nothing less than what is eternal can ultimately satisfy. He had the wisdom to turn his heart from the temporal to the eternal, from what he could hold in his hands to what he could take only by faith. He had the wisdom to embrace rather than deny or flee his own mortality, the wisdom to know that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments, the wisdom to live with the knowledge that God would judge his every deed, whether good or evil.
I have often been struck that while here on earth we count gold as the most precious of possessions, in heaven it’s used to merely pave the streets. What we count supremely valuable here is trod underfoot there. That description at once highlights the splendor of heaven and the futility of wealth. It at once shows that all the wealth of all the worlds would do nothing to make heaven any better for the wealthy than for the impoverished, for the richest billionaire than the poorest pauper.
So many of the world’s wealthiest people live their lives to accumulate what heaven counts as meaningless. They put their hope in finding joy in what they can take and earn, what they can have and hold. Yet, even if they manage to extend their lives a few years or a few decades they, too, will go the way of all the earth. They, too, will live forever, though only beyond the grave. They, too, will find that the greatest pleasures of this world pale in comparison to the greatest pleasures, or greatest torments, of the world to come. -
A La Carte (December 22)
May the Lord be with you and bless you today.
I’ve added a collection of Kindle deals that includes some general market historical titles—perhaps a good option for some holiday reading.
(Yesterday on the blog: The Collected Best Books of 2022)
Christmas Music: A Witness For Us or Against Us
This is a thought-provoking reflection on Christmas music. “While this music is everywhere during this season, how many people realize that the words on their lips are serving as a witness against them?”
The Crushing Obligation to Keep Doing More and More
Kevin DeYoung: “Surely there are many Christians who are terribly busy because they sincerely want to be obedient to God. We hear sermons that convict us for not praying more. We read books that convince us to do more for global hunger. We talk to friends who inspire us to give more and read more and witness more. The needs seem so urgent. The workers seem so few. If we don’t do something, who will? We want to be involved. We want to make a difference. We want to do what’s expected of us. But there just doesn’t seem to be the time.”
The Counterintuitive Christ
“Everything about the circumstances of the coming of Christ into the world was counterintuitive. We tend to pride ourselves on the fact that we know this. However, the more we bring the pieces together into focus, the more astonishing it all becomes. Consider…”
Does Jesus Still Sympathize with Sinners? The Compassion of the Risen Christ
Mark Jones considers Jesus’ compassion and whether he still sympathizes with us.
The Rightful Place of Suffering in the Life of the Christian
“There is a rightful place for suffering in the lives of those whom God loves. Expect it, prepare yourself for it, and be faithful through it” says Amy Hall.
Andrew Thorburn Vindicated (and before Jesus returns too!)
“If there’s one thing we know as Christians is that we won’t always get vindicated in this age.” And yet occasionally…
Flashback: No Low Too Low
He came to serve, and there is no service that was too low for him to do. His birth would provide a glimpse of his entire life, and a fitting introduction to the kind of life he would lead.God’s silences are His answers. If we only take as answers those that are visible to our senses, we are in a very elementary condition of grace. —Oswald Chambers
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10 years of God’s blessings in Scotland
This week the blog is sponsored by 20schemes and this post is written by Mez McConnell, 20schemes’ Executive Director. Mez reflects on the past, present and looks to the future of this ministry to reach Scotland’s poorest communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
PAST PROVISION
20schemes is the joint ministry of two local churches, Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, & Redeemer Fellowship Church, Bardstown, USA. It is often mistaken as a para-church organisation when, in reality, it is the church planting and revitalisation ministry of both churches.
I first had the vision for what is now 20schemes in 2009 when I came across a newspaper article concerning the fifty poorest housing schemes in Scotland. I read the article and began thinking about the impact a gospel church would have in each of those communities.
20schemes was officially launched in November 2012 in the kitchen of the Niddrie Community Church manse by Sharon Dickens, Matthew Spandler-Davison & myself. We had less than £500 in the bank and a dream to reach Scotland’s poorest communities with the gospel of Jesus.
The early years were very tough because nobody had heard of us and those that did thought that we were a passing fad. Many churches across the UK were wary of supporting us and, although we gained some support from faithful Scottish & UK Christians, the majority of our giving came from the USA.
I began to travel around the UK speaking about the vision of the ministry. Many people were sympathetic to the work, but that emotion didn’t translate into hard cash or volunteers. This led us to turn to the USA and this is where Matthew Spandler-Davison stepped in to help us recruit and raise money. Mark Dever and 9marks were massively helpful to us during this time by promoting our ministry and giving me opportunities to speak at some major conferences. Slowly, but surely, we started to gain a little momentum as more Christians rallied to our cause and began to support us financially and prayerfully.
We have been through some lean and trying times and we have skirted the abyss of financial meltdown on more than one occasion. Yet, through it all God has used these times to deepen our faith and dependence upon Him. Here we are 10 years later, still skirting the abyss, but alive and functioning to the glory and praise of His name!
PRESENT SITUATION
Today, on our 10th anniversary, here’s where we stand:
To date, we have either planted or revitalised churches in eleven schemes across Scotland. We have theologically trained men and women who are now engaged in gospel work across Scotland. We have more than a dozen books available in seven languages that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. We have started dedicated Women’s, Music and back-to-work ministries, and it has been a great joy to inspire and support similar ministries in England, Canada, America, and Africa.
Even as I write these words, I find it incredible what God has done over the past decade. He has just been so good to us. There is no way on earth that 20schemes would exist today were it not for our kind and gracious God. Every one of these ministries aforementioned is subservient to the greater vision of planting and revitalising churches among Scotland’s poorest.
There is not a week goes by when we don’t hear of somebody, somewhere being saved in one of our schemes. Of course, we hear bad news in our communities too. Sometimes dark and evil stuff. But, the darkness can never extinguish the light of the world and each church plant is a testament to that great biblical truth.
10 years ago, three people sat in a room in the scheme of Niddrie and prayed. We could not have dreamt that the Lord would bring 20schemes to where it is now, and for that we praise Him.
FUTURE VISION
I am often asked what we will do if and when we hit 20 schemes. My answer is, ‘I will let you know when we get there!’ One thing is for certain, there will never not be a need for gospel churches in Scotland’s poorest communities. Glasgow and its greater area alone, have just short of 100 schemes, the vast majority without the settled Christian witness of a local church. The need for pastors, planters and gospel workers remains as critical as it did when we began this ministry.
We are still looking for men and women of all ages and skillsets to come to the schemes of Scotland and to give their lives to the work of the gospel in these dark and needy places. We need more money, more people, and more prayer. This mission field really is ripe for harvest. Therefore, we must keep pushing forward for the sake of the gospel and the holy name of our God.
One of the ways I encourage all of our planters is by reminding them to look up from their own schemes from time to time and rejoice in what God is doing in schemes across Scotland. People are being saved as the gospel is being preached.
It’s the way it’s always been and it’s the way it will always be. We have no grand strategies other than proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the least, the last and the lost, discipling the saved, and equipping them for future service.
Somebody asked me recently if I thought 20schemes will outlast me. I hope so, otherwise I’ve been doing it wrong. It will last just as long as God wants it to last. It will last as long as faithful men and women refuse to let the apathy of the wider church discourage them from our Scottish mission field.