Eternal focus in Christian preaching emphasizes prioritizing heavenly values and salvation over temporary earthly wealth and status. It calls believers to live with an awareness of eternity, investing in what lasts beyond this life (2 Corinthians 4:18; Colossians 3:2). Illustrations often contrast fleeting earthly pursuits with enduring spiritual treasures and eternal rewards.
We should consider eternity and salvation now, not wait until death approaches.
A pioneer preacher was called to conduct the funeral for a man who never entered the church building while he lived. As the pallbearers neared the meetinghouse door, the old preacher stood in the doorway and beckoned saying: "Gentlemen, I have never taken an undue advantage of any living person, and I am not going to begin imposing on the dead. If this man were living he would not enter this building. Put him down right there and let us respect him enough to finish his earthly pilgrimage as he lived it."
The service was conducted from the doorway, with the casket resting on the church-house lawn. Perhaps the preacher was a bit "hard," but he certainly had a point. Better think about dying and eternity while we live.
Choosing to see forward rather than cling to the past illustrates spiritual focus.
A man's sight left him. He sought the counsel of a trusted medical friend who prescribed a medicine for him. The man took the medicine regularly for four days, and his sight returned to him, but he could no longer remember anything. His friend suggested a remedy for that, too. After a few days his memory came back to him, but he went blind again. This continued for sometime. Eventually his friend said, "It looks like you have to decide which you want-your sight or your memory." The man thought for a moment and then said, "I believe I would prefer my sight. I would rather see where I am going than remember where I have been!" Where are you going?
Being too busy for God’s work but not too busy to die shows misplaced priorities.
Too busy to read the Bible, too busy to wait and pray
Too busy to speak out kindly to someone by the way!
To busy to care and struggle, to think of the life to come
Too busy building mansions, to plan for the heavenly home.
Too busy to help a brother who faces the winter blast.
Too busy to share his burden, when self in the balance is cast.
Too busy for all that is holy on earth beneath the sky;
Too busy to serve the Master, but not too busy to die.
Earthly wealth does not guarantee heavenly reward; our priorities determine our eternal home.
A very rich lady dreamed she died and was taken to heaven. She was given an angel to escort her to her new home. She dreamed the angel took her past many exquisite mansions.
Passing one of the most elegant, the angel said, "And this is the mansion of your servant who died last year." Since this was a fine home, the lady became really excited about the anticipated size of her new home. Soon they rounded a turn and came upon a small shack.
"Here is your new home," the angel said.
"Is this all?" she said. "I was of a very wealthy family on earth," she said.
"Well," the angel explained, "this is all you sent up."
She awoke abruptly and resolved to make a drastic change in the priorities of her life.
Begin prioritizing eternal matters immediately upon becoming a believer.
The time to begin to do the things that are important in your life is the very moment you become a believer in Jesus Christ. Your first thought should be, "This life on earth is not forever; therefore the things that count for eternity will have priority in my life." Don't be like someone who greatly distinguished himself in worldly achievements. In his last moments, he exclaimed, "I have provided in the course of my life for everything except death; and now, alas! I am to die, although entirely unprepared." How or when one dies is not important. The important thing is to prepare for the unavoidable happening while you are alive.
Earthly wealth is temporary; what truly matters is what we gain for eternity.
A young man asked his minister to officiate at his brother's funeral. "Let me see," said the minister. "Your brother was thirty-two years old?" "Yes." "He worked hard for twenty years, didn't he?" "Yes." "Well, what did he get out of it?" "He left eighty acres of fine land, money in the bank, and thousands of dollars in insurance." "Yes, that's what you get out of it; but what did he get out of it?" "Oh, we are going to buy him an expensive oak casket!"
Earthly treasures perish, but heavenly values and God's word last forever.
Certs, Breath Savers, chewing gum are all big sellers. Americans are conscious about "bad breath," and they spend millions of dollars to hide or change it. The problem is that the remedies do not last long.
There is a bizarre new breath mint on the market now which lasts for two hours. It is a time released pill that sits between your upper gum and cheek and slowly puts out a minty taste for hours. You do not have to chew it, or even suck on it.
The price for a bottle of 200 mints is $30. It seems high, but the selling point is that it is really more economical.
Everybody is interested in things that last. Our cars wear out, so do clothes, shoes, and everything about us. The faces on Mount Rushmore have to be continually repaired. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19 that all earthly treasures are beset by risks and finally end in total loss.
The real treasure of wealth is to be found in heaven. We can store truth, love, and faith. Our emphasis must always be on the values that last.
"Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my word;" says Jesus, "shall not pass away" (Mark 13:31).
Earthly treasures are fleeting; true treasure is found in God's kingdom and eternal values.
Hidden treasures today are rare. In the ancient biblical lands, however, they were common. Palestine, which was a land bridge between Egypt and the great empires, was repeatedly invaded, ravaged, and captured. Multitudes buried gold. There were no banks. The government, nobility, clergy, and Arab invaders all robbed the common people often and without warning. Because of this, the people quickly buried treasure in the ground, in walls, in tree trunks, or wherever they could. Earthquakes could cover up entire cities and bury gold with them. All kinds of people quickly buried what they had in the face of invasion or political change. They left, they died, they were captured, and no one knew where the treasure was hidden.
W.M. Thompson was a missionary in Syria and Palestine for 30 years. He told of workmen digging up a garden in Sidon. They found several copper pots of gold. They did exactly like the man in the parable-concealed their find with care. But then, wild with joy, they could not keep their mouths shut. The governor of the city caught them, and recovered two of the pots, and it was found that they contained 8,000 pure gold coins of Alexander and his father Philip. Thompson saw hundreds of persons all over the country spending their last pennies looking for such treasure.
God builds our eternal reward based on what we faithfully send from earth.
A rich woman dreamed that she went to heaven and saw there a mansion being built. "Who is that for?" she asked of the guide. "For your gardener." "But he lives in the tiniest cottage on earth with barely room enough for his family. He might live better if he did not give so much to the miserable, poor folk." Farther on she saw a tiny cottage being built. "And who is that for?" she asked. "That is for you." "But I have lived in a mansion on earth. I would not know how to live in a cottage." The words she heard in reply were full of meaning: "The Master Builder is doing His best with the material that is being sent up." The Master and the Violin
A wealthy Englishman had in his valuable collection a rare violin which Fritz Kreisler, the celebrated virtuoso, greatly longed to possess. When the owner persisted in refusing to part with it, Kreisler begged permission to play it just once. That was granted. With trembling hands the artist tuned the instrument and then played. He played as only genius can play. He poured his heart into his music. The Englishman stood as one transfixed until the playing had ceased, and he did not speak until Kreisler had tenderly returned the instrument to the antique box, as gently a mother puts her baby to bed. "Take the violin," he burst out. "It is yours. I have no right to keep it. It ought to belong to the man who can play it as you did." That was odd reasoning, and yet it has something compellingly illustrative of the attitude that Paul wanted to arouse in the Corinthians who were made rich in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:5). In a sense, ought not an instrument belong to the master who can draw the finest music from it? Ought not your life and mine belong to the Master who can draw the noblest harmonies from them?
We must prioritize saving our souls above all earthly possessions and losses.
"As men in a great fire and general conflagration will hazard their lumber to preserve their treasure, their money, or their jewels, so should we take care, if we must lose one or the other, that the better part be out of hazard. Whatever we lose by the way, let us make sure that we come well to the end of our journey." Herein is wisdom. See how men throw overboard
the lading of the ship when it becomes a question of saving their lives. Reason teaches them that the less precious must go first: they do not throw over first their gold and then their corn, neither do they lose their lives to save their ingots. So let us, above all things, care for our souls and their eternal interests. He whose house was burned to ashes kneeled down and thanked the Lord because his child was safe; and he who loses the whole world but obtains eternal salvation has so much to rejoice in that he would waste his tears if he shed them over his losses. Suppose it were said that Virgil died worth half-a-million of money, it is so long ago that it would be stale intelligence, and if the same were said of a man who died yesterday there would really be no more in it; yet if the soul of Virgil's slave was saved, though he never owned a single gold coin, heaven has not ceased to ring with joy concerning his salvation. The soul should be our main care. It is our all, for it is ourself. Lord, teach men this wisdom; teach me this wisdom.
Faith brings distant eternal realities near, changing how we value time and eternity.
"Look, as the stars, those vast globes of light, by reason of the distance between us and them, do seem but as so many spangles; so we have but a weak sight of things which are set at a great distance, and their operation on us is usually but small." Hence the need of faith, by which things are brought near to us, and made to stand out in their reality. A far-off hell is the dread of no man, and a far-off heaven is scarce desired by any one. God himself, while thought of as far away, is not feared or reverenced as he should be. If we did but use our thoughts upon the matter we should soon see that a mere span of time divides us from the eternal world, while the Lord our God is nearer to us than our souls are to our bodies. Strange that the brief time which intervenes between us and eternity should appear to the most of men to be so important, while eternity itself they regard as a trifling matter. They use the microscope
£0 ILLUSTRATIONS AND MEDITATIONS. to magnify the small concerns of time; O that they would use the telescope upon the vast matters of eternity! How differently would they order their lives with judgment felt to be at their doors! How would they seek to escape from infinite wrath, if they felt it to be nigh! Lord, arouse me, and all around me, to a due estimate of eternal matters. Enable me to project my soul into the infinite. Break me free of this narrow present, and launch my soul upon the wide and open sea of the ages to come. Thou art in eternity, and let my soul even now dwell there with thee.
Building earthly security is foolish when our true home is eternal and secure in God.
"To fix our confidence upon a dying world is folly. It is as if we were building our nests when the tree is being cut down, or decorating our cabin when the ship is likely to be dashed in pieces or is already sinking." Is it a time to drive a trade for ourselves when we are just leaving earth, and hope soon to be in heaven? Yet too many among professors are doing this. Their hearts are set upon their money, they build their nest in the golden grove; or they are wrapt up in their children, and, as it were, nestle down among those who spring up as willows by the watercourses. The axe is laid at the root of all earthly comforts, and, therefore, those who are taught of God soar aloft, and make their eyries on the Rock of Ages. What is our friend doing whose eyes are now scanning this page? Where is your heart? What is its dear delight and joy? Is it of earth? Then be sure that to earth it will return. Is your joy a thing of heaven? Then alone is it stable and sure.
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Life without God is like a withered stalk, lacking true joy and purpose.
"All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass." Many times the flower is gone when the stalk remaineth, so man oft-times seeth all that he hath been gathering a long time soon dissipated by the breath of providence, and he, like a withered, rotten stalk, liveth scorned and neglected. Alas, for such an one! What is the daffodil without its golden crown, or the crocus without its cup of sunshine? Such is man without the object of his life. What is the thorn without its rose, or the tree without its leaves, or the wood without the birds of song?
Such is man without the comforts and joys of his being. It is ill to exist when life is dead, to eat and drink when the taste has departed, to move among men when the heart is broken: yet are there thousands in this condition: a blight is on them, their flower and glory are withered, and they are as those who go down into the pit. So have we seen a tree smitten by lightning standing still among its fellows, but no longer adding to the verdure of the forest. It has been, and this is all that we can say of it, for its continuance is but in semblance. Who has not seen men in a like condition? Alas! for those who have no hereafter when this present faileth them, for they fall indeed, and wither with a vengeance. Blessed is the man who lives in God, for no such withering shall happen to him. God is his crown and glory, the flower of his true being, and God cannot fail him. He shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, and not so much as his leaf shall wither. Lord, make me to live on thy word, which abideth for ever, and then when flesh, like grass, shall fade, I shall find eternal joy in thee.
Life's value is measured by progress toward God, not mere passage of time.
"A man may abide long in the world till he be eaten out of life by his own rust, or droppeth like rotten fruit; but he cannot be said to have a long life; as a man may be long at sea, but if he is driven to and fro by the waves he cannot be said to make a long voyage when he is at last driven back into the port out of which he sailed at first." Yes, life is not to be measured by mere lapse of time, but by the real headway which a man makes. The mass of mankind voyage to no known port, but are the sport of winds and waves. Compass or chart they no more consult than do the sea-birds or the dolphins. Thus it happens that in advanced years men are no forwarder than in youth, for they never continue in one line, having no object before them: they have not lived, but existed. Nothing has been attempted, much less accomplished; their years have rusted them into infirmity, but otherwise they are unaltered. Here's the respect which makes calamity of so much wasted life. O my blessed Lord, preserve thy servant from spending his sojourn here after the manner of the idler. Let mine be a real life. May I not be a mere strainer of meat and drink, or a walking clothes-horse, or a cypher; but may I so live on earth that it may seem wise to thee to bid me continue my life for ever,
Christians focus on heavenly treasures to overcome present troubles and fear.
Even as a man that passeth through a strong flood or stream on foot, lest he stumble and fall down, setteth his eye steadily upon the firm land which he mindeth to attain unto, and marketh not the swift course of the water, and so goeth over safely, and is nothing dismayed; so, likewise, a sound and good Christian, passing the raging waves of present troubles, turneth away his sight, his thought, and all apprehension that he might otherwise have of the misery of them, and, lifting up his eyes to heaven, beholdeth there, with a spiritual regard, the inestimable treasures of the heavenly inheritance, which he striveth unto; and by this means easily surmounteth all horror and fear of torments and griefs, which commonly make alterations in men's heads, and casteth them headlong into desperation. Cawdray.
Focusing on earthly appearance wastes time meant for preparing for eternity.
A minister called to see a lady, who detained him a long time while she was dressing. At length, she appeared, arrayed in all the fripery of fashion. The minister wept. She asked the cause of his grief. He replied, "I weep, madam, I think that an immortal being should spend so much of that precious time which was given to prepare for eternity, in thus vainly adornment that body which must so soon become a prey to worms."
True existence is measured by conscious life, not mere duration of time.
Existence is not to be measured by mere duration. At oak lives for centuries; generation after generation of mortals the meanwhile passing away; but who would exchange for the life of a plant, though protracted for ages, a single day of the existence of a living, conscious, thinking man?
— Dr. Caird
Earthly riches are temporary; ultimately, all a person owns is a small grave space.
In order to reclaim a miser, Constantine the Great took a lance, and marked out a space of ground of the size of the human body, and told him, "Add heap to heap, accumulate riches upon riches, extend the bounds of your possessions, conquer the whole world; in a few days, such a spot as this will be all you will have."
True happiness is found in seeking God and eternal life through Christ.
In what does the summum bonum, the supreme good, consist? Four different opinions on this question obtained from the ancients. Plato answers, "We must find happiness by taking an interest in the things of life: we must love life, but remember, that, after death, we shall live again." Epicurus said, "Live: accept life without thinking of ever living again after death." Zeno answers, "We must take no interest in this life: in a measure, we must make ourselves independent of life, and not live at all. We must become even from the present a free power, a god. We must triumph over fate, emancipate our natures, free them from all restraints, sure as we are, that, after this life, our connection with this world is forever broken off." St. Augustine, the Christian father, says, "Be not over-interested in this life: think, with Plato, that it is only a state contrary to the original nature of man; and like Zeno, that this chain will not last very long, not reproduce itself; but instead of seeking, like Zeno, a Saviour in yourself, seek him in God alone, the wisdom which has become incarnate in Jesus Christ our Lord."
— Dr. Haven
Heathen view urges enjoying present life, ignoring uncertain future and eternity.
Abridge your hopes in proportion to the shortness of the span of human life; for, while we converse, the hours, as if envious of our pleasure, fly away: enjoy therefore the present time, and trust not too much what to-morrow may produce.
— Horace
The principles we cultivate now determine our eternal destiny.
The principles that are now implanted in thy bosom will grow, and one day reach maturity; and in that maturity thou wilt find thy heaven or thy hell. Nothing so momentous as principles. As sure as August shows the work of the farmer, so sure thy futurity will show the principles thou art cultivating now. "Buy," then, "the truth;" buy it at any cost,—for any amount of labor, sacrifice, or talent,—buy it, and, when thou hast it, sell it not! Sell it not for pleasure, for prosperity, for fame, or for life. Get holy principles, and thou shalt get the pinions of an angel, which shall bear thee above all the clouds and storms of earth, into the sunshine and the calm of eternity. Dr. Thomas.
Children distinguish between earthly toys and true treasures stored in heaven.
A lady was once visiting at the house of a minister who had two sons. These two little boys were amusing themselves with some beautiful toys. The lady, on seeing them, said, "Well, boys, are these your treasures?"—"No, ma'am," said the elder; "these are not our treasures: these are our playthings. Our treasures are in heaven."
Earthly riches mean nothing at death; true treasure is in Heaven.
An aged wealthy man once took an acquaintance to see a splendid mansion. “This is all mine,” he said. Then he pointed to a little town: “That is mine; it is called by my name.” In another direction he pointed out farms extending for thirty miles. “These are all mine. I was a poor boy, but I made all this myself.” The visitor looked at him and said: “Well, you have all this on earth, but what have you in Heaven?” “Well, I’m afraid I haven’t got much up there.” “Ah,” said the visitor, “but you’ve got to die, to leave this world; what will you take with you of all these things? You will die a beggar, for all these riches count as nothing in Heaven.” The poor old rich man burst into tears. He had no hope for the future. In four months he left it all.
People often ignore eternity, but where we spend it matters greatly.
Once, as I was walking down the street, I heard some people laughing and talking aloud. One of them said:
“Well, there will be no difference; it will be all the same a hundred years hence.”
The thought flashed across my mind, “Will there be no difference? Where will you be a hundred years hence?”
Young man, just ask yourself the question, “Where shall I be?” Some of you who are getting on in years may be in eternity ten years hence. Where will you be, on the left or the right hand of God? I cannot tell your feelings, but I can my own. I ask you, “Where will you spend eternity? Where will you be a hundred years hence?”
One must insure their soul's salvation, not just earthly possessions.
“Pa,” said a little boy as he climbed to his father’s knee, and looked into his face as earnestly as if he understood the importance of the subject, “Pa, is your soul insured?”
“What are you thinking about, my son?” replied the agitated father. “Why do you ask that question?”
“Why, Pa, I heard Uncle George say that you had your house insured, and your life insured; but he didn’t believe you had thought of your soul, and he was afraid you would lose it; won’t you get it insured right away?”
The father leaned his head on his hand, and was silent. He owned broad acres of land that were covered with bountiful produce; his barns were even now filled with plenty, his buildings were all well covered by insurance; and as if that would not suffice for the maintenance of his wife and only child in case of his decease, he had, the day before, taken a life-policy for a large amount; yet not one thought had he given to his own immortal soul. On that which was to waste away and become part and parcel of its native dust he had spared no pains; but for that which was to live on and on through the long ages of eternity he had made no provision. “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”
A rich man’s earthly wealth contrasts with his lack of heavenly treasure, urging eternal focus.
A friend of mine was once taken by an old man to see his riches. He took him to a splendid mansion, and said, “This is all mine.” He pointed to a little town, “That is mine; it is called by my name.” He pointed to a rolling prairie, “That is all mine; the sun never shone on a finer prairie than that, so fruitful and rich, and it’s all mine.” In another direction he showed him fertile farms extending for thirty miles, “These are all mine.” He took him into his grand house, showed him his beautiful pictures, his costly gold plate, his jewels, and still he said, “These are all mine. This grand hall I have built; it is called by my name; there is my insignia on it. And yet I was once a poor boy. I have made it all myself.”
My friend looked at him. “Well, you’ve all this on earth; but what have you got up there?”
“Up where?” said the old man.
“Up in heaven.”
“Well, I’m afraid I haven’t got much up there.”
“Ah,” said my friend, “but you’ve got to die, to leave this world; what will you take with you of all these things? You will die a beggar; for all these riches count as nothing in the kingdom of heaven. You will be a pauper; for you have no inheritance with the saints above.” The poor old man (he was poor enough in reality, though rich in all the world’s goods) burst into tears. He had no hope for the future. In four months’ time he was dead; and where is he now? He lived and died without God, and without hope in this world or the next.
Enduring truth and simplicity outlast flashy, short-lived popularity or style.
We may be sure that any piece of literature which attracts only by some trick of style, however it may blaze up for a day and startle the world with its flash, lacks the element of endurance. We do not need much experience to tell us the difference between a lamp and a Roman candle. Even in our day we have seen many reputations flare up, illuminate the sky, and then go out in utter darkness. When we take a proper historical perspective, we see that it is the universal, the simple, that lasts.--CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER, _Atlantic Monthly_.
Emerson's indifference shows the world is not indispensable compared to eternity.
During the latter portion of his life, declares a writer in _Everybody’s Magazine_, Emerson seemed to live much in the world of souls, and came back with difficulty to take cognizance of physical affairs.
At the time of the Millerite excitement, he was walking one day down Bromfield Street, Boston, when he met one of his friends, who remarked: “This is the day when the world is to come to an end, according to the Millerities.” The Sage of Concord looked reflectively at his friend for a moment, and replied: “Ah, well, we can do without it.”
