Eternity In Your Heart

Someone asked me the other day, “With all of the bad things going on in the world today, is it possible that we’ve reached the beginning of the end? What can we expect to happen and when?”

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ followers asked him a similar question. They wanted to know about the end times. “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the signs that they are all about to be fulfilled?” –Mark 13:4 (NIV)

The disciples were just as curious about the end times as we are today. Even as they walked and talked with Jesus, they wanted to know what to expect in the future and when they could expect it. Jesus warned that there are rough times ahead for everyone. There will be wars and natural disasters, and the battle between good and evil will continue until he returns. (Mark 13) What is our attitude towards the end of times?

As followers of Christ, we’ve been sealed for eternity. More than three thousand years ago, a king named Solomon chronicled his search for fulfillment. He finally understood people are looking for the eternity God created them to long for, but they can’t find it on their own. “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

We may not know all that God is doing in the world today. We do know, however, our salvation was no afterthought and we were given a living hope through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The real question isn’t when Jesus will return, but if we’re ready for his return. No one knows the exact day or hour when Jesus will return. Jesus simply instructs us to be on guard and live our lives in anticipation of his return. Let’s embrace the hope we’ve been given and use our time and resources to love and serve others well. Most of all, let’s choose to live with a healthy anticipation of the return of Jesus, trusting in the glory that is to come.

Let’s embrace the hope we’ve been given

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT) 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.