What You Take With You

What is it that you're after in this life? I mean really after? If it is this life then you are on the wrong road and are bound to end up in the wrong destination. I’ve always said that the highest form of insanity is to live for this present life. Why? Because it doesn’t last. None of it. Nothing. You really and truly “can't take it with you.” There simply is nothing about this life that you get to take with you when you leave, and you ARE going to leave. Job put it down just like it goes: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither” (Job 1:21). Solomon was in perfect agreement: “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came , and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand” (Eccl. 5:15). The apostle Paul was also in harmony with two of the wisest men in the history of the world: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (I Tim. 6:7). And last, but certainly not least, Jesus put the finishing touch on this sobering consideration of truth: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mat. 16:26). Friend, there really isn’t any explaining to do here, except for this one note: There is ONE thing that we are going to take with us, and because of that fact I believe it is obvious that this is the thing that we should devote our top priority to while we’re in this world: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:13,14). There it is, the keeping of the commandments of God is what this life is ALL about, because we will be judged one day for whether we did exactly that, or whether we did not. Yes, that is old testament scripture, so we should bring it up to date and see if anything has changed with that: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (II Cor. 5:10,11). So there we have it again, the fear of God and keeping his commandments. There’s nothing quite like repetition of facts to confirm what is true.

When we leave this world we will take with us a report card that is recorded in heaven, that shows exactly and precisely all that we have done, said, thought, and been motivated by, while in this life. Yeah, I’d say we should fear God, wouldn’t you? From a legalistic point of view, this looks kind of like looking up the side of Mount Everest, and knowing that we have to climb it on one leg. But the beauty of the truth is that keeping all of God’s commandments is not a hard thing to do, as long as we have what it takes to keep them with, and we keep it alive in our lives. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (I Jn. 5:3). And this; “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (Jn. 13:34). This is the key element: “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5). So all of the commandments of God are really wrapped up in the simplistic package of loving our fellows with the same love that Jesus loved us with. That can only be done if we have received the holy Ghost into our lives, because it is the holy Ghost that imparts the love of God into our hearts. Not only so, but it is also the holy Ghost that will teach us HOW to love one another with the same love that Jesus loved us with, which by the way is HOLY love (Jn. 14:26; Jn. 16:13; I Jn. 2:27). All we need to accomplish these things is a heart that stays honest, a willingness to labor in prayer, and a love for the righteousness of God. All of these tools are given to us liberally by the same Lord Jesus who died and rose again so that he COULD give us these things, so that we could “save [ourselves] from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40). The real beauty of this gloriously simplistic and pure gospel that Jesus has made available to us, is that it is all obtained strictly BY FAITH in him alone. That is ALL that you and I will ever need, but we will surely need to depend on that in all things (Rom. 9:30; Rom. 16:26; Gal. 3:7,9). So friend, don’t look to the left, or to the right; but just stay perfectly focused on Jesus himself, and you will never be led astray. Not only that, but you will be in good shape at the final judgment as well. If your dependency however is on men, or on ‘church,’ you will certainly be on the wrong path, and heading to the wrong destination with a wrong report card (Mat. 7:13,14; Psm. 118:8,9). Amen.