A pile of Bibles, clothes, hypodermic needles, and twenty pounds of vitamins lay heaped in our living room. On our trips abroad, Dani and I minimize personal gear so we can courier supplies to the mission stations. For weeks, we toss everything we hope to bring into the corner of the room. Before we fly, we pack our suitcases and jettison everything over the weight limit.
Now I’m sorting through my pile of messy living. What will go with me into eternity and what gets left behind? I can’t gamble to have time to pack for eternity later. Rare is the person who goes on the big trip when they expect to go.
In Romans 14:17 Paul says, “For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” So temporal activities will be ditched, while righteousness, peace, and joy get to come along. Those are the commodities I’ll be keenly glad to have with me in eternity.
My heap of life is so mixed and my flight might leave any moment. I’m frantic to organize what fills my days. I’ve got to stuff in some right living while there’s still time.
Daily quiet times go into the travel bag, wasted hours are left behind. Teaching children about Jesus goes with, dropping quarters in a slot machine, not so much. What about that service day for the elderly? Did it add to righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirt? No, it only made me look good to others. Toss it and move on. Time is short.
Prayer: Lord of departures, please help me pack before it’s too late.