The passage at the end of Ecclesiastes reminds us of the time before Day Of Judgment, where we are now: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecc. 12:13-14).
“For this is man’s all”… For what purpose did God create man? And the answer: “Fear God and keep His commandments”. God created this world and created us, to prepare us to live with Him in the next world, but already in this world we experience His presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit who is within us, through faith in the Messiah Yeshua. So, everything we think, do, plan, long for, initiate, want and seek, all of these should focus, not on the things of this world ,BUT in one thing: preparation for the next world, where we will work and glorify God forever. He is the center of our lives, He is the reason we live.
Each of us needs to ask himself the question: What am I living for today? Is it for a career? Honor? Recognition? Advertising? Or – to reach our true home in heaven, to attend the wedding of the lamb, to spend eternity in the most wonderful place in the universe, to live in the presence of God forever….
This earth is not our final destination. It is a temporary place, it is the corridor through which we pass: purging, purification and preparation, which will eventually bring us to heaven… Today we are in the last round of the race towards the ultimate goal, towards the main and true thing in our lives – eternity!!!
We must remember every moment, that we have a house in heaven waiting for us, and that is where we need to look and understand that we will get there, along with the price we will have to pay. And the price is: to take up the cross and follow Yeshua, even if we suffer rejection because of our faith in Him, even if we lose things in this world for His sake and for the gospel’s sake and even if we will be persecuted because of our faith: “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
We all have ambitions, plans, desires, but none of us knows when his last day will be here on earth… If we would know, we would take our lives more seriously and more importantly… “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). Yes, the decision for our walk in the path of the cross depends on our personal choice, and the reward will follow this decision: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deu. 30:19).
The day of the Lord is coming, it will come as a surprise, so we must be ready every day. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless” (2 Peter 3:10-14).
We are in the time before Judgment Day.
It’s time to make a decision: move away from the love of the world, and go in the direction that leads up and forward …
It’s time to ask the Lord to examine our hearts and confess what He will show us …
It’s time to forgive those who have hurt us and ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt during our lives…
It’s time to stop every sin we have failed at (gossip, slander, pride, jealousy, all kinds of addictions, etc.).
It’s time to live in peace with every man and pursue holiness: “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Heb. 12:14-15). “Anyone fall short of the grace of God“, that is: he lives without grace – without the love of God within him, without the gift of God: His wisdom and guidance… in short – God’s grace is our spiritual oxygen, without it our lives are not life: “Because Your lovingkindness (grace) is better than life…” (Psalm 63:3), and if he has no grace, then he lives like a leaf swaying in the wind and does fleshly deeds that have no reward in heaven… (to say the least). “lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble” – He lives in bitterness and unforgiveness, which adversely affects others, it hurts his faith, and distances him from God.
The parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16-21 teaches us about a man who planned, accumulated, and prepared assets for his future. But God rebuked him: “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God“
God calls the rich man – fool. He spent all his life preparing for himself material things for his future, instead of building a spiritual relationship with the Lord: getting closer to Him, knowing Him, obeying Him and loving Him. The man was foolish, not because he was rich, but because he did not do the right thing, he did not prepare himself for life forever. He did not invest in the right thing. he is not “rich toward God”.
Therefore: it does not matter what we have (and it can be anything), but who we are in the Lord and whether we do the right thing and prepare ourselves for life with God in eternity….
So, what should we do?
“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all” (1 Th. 5:14-15).
And what is waiting for us in eternity?
“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son” (Rev. 21:3-7).
And who are these to be in this eternal world?
“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:14).
And meanwhile, we will continue to do the deeds that God called us to do in faith: “That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Th. 1:12)
And finally – “…He who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work (Rev. 22:11-12).
Thank God for His grace and wisdom, which is above all human grace and wisdom…