Living for eternity

As followers of Jesus, we know there is life after the grave.  Jesus demonstrated that with His resurrection.  Though we still live in the here and now, we must live in light of eternity.  This is the challenge of being a Christian…living for eternity.  Theologians refer to it as the “already and not yet.”  We have been redeemed and adopted, but we won’t see the fulfillment of it until we see Him face to face.  In the meantime, we live within the reality of the “not yet”.

A single blog post cannot capture this in full, but one passage of Scripture drives this home.  King David, in Psalm 21 helps us to see this.  Here is just a portion of the chapter, verses 1-7:

O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices,
    and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
² You have given him his heart’s desire
    and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
³ For you meet him with rich blessings;
    you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
⁴ He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
    length of days forever and ever.
⁵ His glory is great through your salvation;
    splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
⁶ For you make him most blessed forever;
    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the Lord,
    and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

David was the king.  This meant he was the most powerful, most wealthy man in the kingdom.  He had need of nothing.  Anything he wanted, he could have.  Any demand he made, was fulfilled.  He was in full control.  However, King David, knows that his strength is from the Lord.  He knows the Lord is the ultimate giver of strength, gifts, blessings, riches, and life itself.  David knew there was something more than just this life.  He knew that God was the giver of all things.

On earth, the king answered to no person.  Yet David knew that he answered to the Lord.  In verse 7 he says, “the king trusts in the Lord.”  King David put his trust in the Lord.  Not in himself, his riches, his possessions, his blessings, or anything else in this life.

We are not kings like David.  However, may the Lord strengthen us to put our full trust and hope in the Lord.  May we live with the understanding there is life after the grave and eternity is a long time.