Maximizing The Blessing of Eternal Life
“Our focus as believers ought to constantly be on things above; eternal!”
By Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel
“For when they observe your pure, godly life before God, it will impact them deeply.” 1 Peter 3:2 (TPT)
Are you an eternally conscious believer or a mere Christian? No one can answer this question for you; whether you are taking advantage of your eternal benefits in Christ or not. Unfortunately, many Christians focus only on the material things they can get from their relationship with God and fail to see the eternal things that matter most. As wonderful as miracles are, they are temporary interventions of God to mankind. They can only satisfy for a while; you need something that lasts longer. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that, “…man shall not live by bread alone.” Our focus as believers ought to constantly be on things above; eternal. Eternal life is what we are expected to manifest at all times. When we don’t, we short-change ourselves.
In Luke 9, Jesus sent out His disciples to go and preach. All He gave them was the power to do mighty miracles. They celebrated their achievements when they returned but, Jesus in His usual manner helped them to realize where their attention should instead be. He told them to rejoice that their names have been written in the book of life and not the miracles that occurred. This is because miracles are temporal and we cannot celebrate them over what matters most.
Focus your attention on the New Life and how the love of Christ ought to control you. When the love of Christ is in charge, it will positively affect every aspect of your life. His love makes you selfless unlike the core nature of our old life that makes one selfish. The life of Christ (the love of God) is the greatest manifestation of the living God in the life of man. There is nothing greater in value than God’s nature in us.
We need to constantly submit to God, when we do, we yield to eternal life and this will reflect in every area of our lives. Truth is, living eternally is that easy with the help of His Holy Spirit, He directs our thoughts, words, and actions. The key to glory is to step aside and let Christ lead! We need to learn to put our bodies under subjection, like the Apostle Paul, so we don’t give in to the works of the flesh.
A good example is the admonition given in Ephesians 4:28, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” As a believer, you must engage in activities that will make you responsible citizens before God and men. People should be able to study our lives and choose to live better because of how they observed and seen us live like Christ.
Remember to focus on the thing that matters most; eternity and Christ. Do not neglect the investments God has made in you. If you are born again, you carry eternal life and it will be a great price to pay if you live ignorant of this truth.
Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel is the Senior Pastor of The Fountain Of The Living Word Church, New Jersey.
Awesome! Absolutely true.