The Highest Honor

Living in an obscure village, toiling in the carpentry shop, mitering corners, sanding boards, walking to the synagogue every Sabbath...think of it... for thirty years.  Every duty performed perfectly and faithfully no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

The Man that would calm the sea and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers and raise the dead.

God on earth.

His family did not understand Him, His friends forsook Him,  and the leaders of the nation dogged His steps, waiting for a chance to snuff out His life... until they did.   

The Lamb of God.

He was by far the greatest human being to ever live on our planet, right?  However, if you think you will gain recognition and honor in this world by following in His footsteps, think twice.

Because "the servant is not greater than his lord."     

But...

If we suffer with Him, "we shall also reign with Him."

And "of all the gifts that heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is  

the most weighty trust and the highest honor." *

the highest honor

*The Desire of Ages p. 224

Investing in Eternity

Flipping randomly  through my Bible the other day,  I came across Isaiah 55.  (I love that chapter.)  The focus of the first couple of verses is invitation.  But somehow verse two struck me in an unusual way this time...

"Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?  and your labor for that which satisfieth not?  hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."

It really made me think.
  
There are only so many hours in the day, only so many days in a life, and only so much time left for this world.
I don't know when I may be laughing one moment, and dead the next.
I don't know when I will have to stand before the Lord to give account for what He has left in my care.

Every day, God is teaching me what is really important in life.  And I am realizing more and more that time, energy, money, life, are precious gifts.  God gives us freedom of choice to decide what we will do with those gifts.

I can choose to expend my time, energy and money on self-serving,  but in the end I will have nothing to show for my effort but a charge of robbery.

And the things we thought were so important here, will appear as they really are... vanity.

There are only two things that we will carry out of this world... People, and our characters.

That's all that really matters.

And am I glad... :)

Let's invest in both.  Let's invest in eternity.