“You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.” — Hebrews 10:34
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The final week of the NFL regular season usually involves at least one team resting some or all of its key players. They’re often found meandering the sidelines, having exchanged shoulder pads for headsets, joking around and cheering on teammates. And while the strategy seems to run counter to the spirit of competition, it’s actually very wise.
That’s because teams that rest their players have already clinched a playoff bid and have nothing to gain with a victory or lose with a defeat. Sure, everyone wants to win every game, but those teams have postseason goals that run far deeper than a regular-season matchup in Week 18. They’re preparing as best they can for playoff football by allowing their players to rest and recover as much as possible. In other words, they’re living in light of what’s to come.
As followers of Christ, we too are called to live in light of what’s to come. It may “make sense” in the eyes of the world to hoard as much of our money as we can. But Jesus, whose money it actually is, calls us to give to the poor and to His church. It may “make sense” to keep quiet when friends or coworkers discuss matters of faith, but Jesus calls us to a life proclaiming the Gospel, even when it’s uncomfortable. It may “make sense” to lie to avoid punishment, but Jesus calls us to always tell the truth.
The world should look at followers of Christ and be confused, because we are to value the things of Heaven and not the temporary things of earth. The world will say we’ve lost when we can’t afford our next vacation, experience an awkward conversation or face the consequences of our actions. But, when done in light of eternity, we know we’ve actually won.
Like an NFL team playing all its players when there’s nothing to gain, the world is living for today. Believers should live today in preparation for what’s to come, and what’s to come is eternity — in perfect communion with the God who loved us, graciously saved us from our sins, and now calls us His children.
— Kevin Mercer
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