Life is Short, Eternity is Much Longer

A few months ago I came across a sermon that had a sobering illustration of our lives here on Earth, and how it compares to eternity. The minister Francis Chan used a rope to visually compare the two. A very small piece of the rope was red, representing our lives here on Earth. The rest of rope - which we were told to imagine goes on forever - symbolized our existence in eternity. Something about seeing a physical manifestation of how relatively quick our lives are was an eye opener.  

Too many times the cares of this world - our careers, making plans for vacations, our possessions, our finances, or whatever - can suck us into our own lives such that we forget what the Bible directs our true purpose as Christians to be while here on Earth. We are to love as Christ loves, serve the poor, spread the gospel, turn away from sin; basically strive to serve and love God as much as we can.

Our beliefs, and how we live here on Earth, will determine where we spend eternity - an eternity either in Heaven, or separated from God in Hell. This is eternity we're talking about. Our lives are so short, they are like a vapor that vanishes quickly after appearing (James 4:14 KJV). Let's live to ensure we get into Heaven, and bring as many people with us as we can. Below, check out the rope video I referenced. Shalom.