Live Faithfully Until DeathI read a quote recently from a man named Dwight L. Moody, that really resonated with me. "Everybody wants to enjoy heaven after they die, but they don't want to be heavenly-minded while they live." Now I don't know anything about Mr. Moody, but this quote is quite true.
The first thought that comes to my mind is Christ's words in Revelation 2:10. "...be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." This shows that Christ expects us to live a faithful life while here on earth. But we have to remember the context of this scripture and who is being talked to. This quote from Christ is penned by John, talking to the local church at Smyrna, the "Persecuted Church." This means Christ is telling Christians to live faithfully until death, not the unbelieving.
This means, no matter how "good" you live your life here on earth, heaven only waits for those that obey God's word and live faithfully until death. No manner of "good deeds" or being a "good person" will gain us access into heaven unless we hear his word (Rom 10:17), believe his word (Heb 11:6), repent from our sinful life (Acts 2:38), confess our faith that Christ is the Son of God (Rom 10:9) and are baptized (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16) in his name.
But just as Revelation 2:10 reminds us, once we have obeyed and become a Christian, we cannot sit back on our laurels and wait for heaven. We must live faithfully until death in hopes of receiving our crown of life once this life is over.
- Jordan Hopkins
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