Reflection of the Day

"In the early days, when Christianity exercised a dominant influence over American thinking, men and women conceived the world to be a battleground. Our fathers believed in sin and the devil and hell as constituting one force, and they believed in God and righteousness and heaven as the other. By their very nature, these forces were opposed to each other forever in deep, grave, irreconcilable hostility. Humans, our fathers held, had to choose sides-they could not be neutral. For them it must be life or death, heaven or hell, and if they chose to come out on God's side they could expect open war with God's enemies. The fight would be real and deadly and would last as long as life continued here below. People looked forward to heaven as a return from the wars, a laying down of the sword to enjoy in peace the home prepared for them ...

"How different today. The fact remains the same, but the interpretation has changed completely. People think of the world, not as a battleground, but as a playground. We are not here to fight; we are here to frolic. We are not in a foreign land; we are at home. We are not getting ready to live, but we are already living, and the best we can do is rid ourselves of our inhibitions and our frustrations and live this life to the full."

A.W.Tozer

This World: Playground or Battlefield, pg. 4-5

How very true. Many people ask what is the meaning of life. And one of the more common answers in this day and age is: "to enjoy life to the fullest". Indeed, a popular slogan puts it succinctly: "life's short, play hard".

That's possibly alright if there is nothing else after death. If there is no life after death, no repercussion for how we have lived our lives on earth, then perhaps there could be some justification to that. Yet, for us Christians, we believe in the Day of Judgment, the Righteous God who will judge men for their sins: forgiveness of sin for those who accepted the free atonement in Jesus, and condemnation for those who have not accepted the free atonement Jesus had offered to them.

We say we believe, but do we really believe these fundamentals of the Christian faith? Beliefs underpin values which shape our purposes which govern our priorities which are reflected in our actions. Do we really believe what we say we believe and what we think we believe?

A quick look at how I spend my time brings me face to face with the ugly truth that I don't really believe the Day of Judgement as much I know I should, and would like to, believe.

Apart from taking active steps to manage how I spend my time and energies, and pray for God's continual good work in me that I may truly be transformed to live for that which is of true eternal value, I blog this to remind my dear readers and friends, that if you are a Christian, join me to really live the Christian life. Not the nominal one that seems to plague the Church in this age and time, but the true Christian life which the whole bible speaks of that we all have learned and heard of repeatedly. If you're not a Christian, perhaps this blog entry might serve as a primer for you to consider what you are truly living for here on earth, and more importantly, what is the truth. For only when you know the truth, are things set in their proper positions of importance that life gains meaningful perspective.