I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9
“Very soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come! Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death…
If you have ever seen a man die, remember that you, too, must go the same way. In the morning consider that you may not live till evening, and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourself the dawn. Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will never take you unprepared…You can do many good works when in good health…The present is very precious…Try to live now in such a manner that at the moment of death you may be glad rather than fearful.
Learn to die to the world now, that then you may begin to live with Christ. Learn to spurn all things now, that then you may freely go to Him…Ah, foolish man, why do you plan to live long when you are not sure of living even a day? How many have been deceived and suddenly snatched away! How often have you heard of persons being killed by drownings, by fatal falls from high places, of persons dying at meals, at play, in fires, by the sword, in pestilence, or at the hands of robbers! Death is the end of everyone and the life of man quickly passes away like a shadow.
Who will remember you when you are dead? Who will pray for you? Do now, beloved, what you can, because you do not know when you will die, nor what your fate will be after death. Gather for yourself the riches of immortality while you have time. Think of nothing but your salvation. Care only for the things of God. Make friends for yourself now by honoring the saints of God, by imitating their actions, so that when you depart this life they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. Keep yourself as a stranger here on earth, a pilgrim whom its affairs do not concern at all. Keep your heart free and raise it up to God, for you have not here a lasting home.”
Thomas à Kempis in “Thoughts on Death,” chapter 23 of The Imitation of Christ.
As C.S. Lewis quoted Thomas à Kempis yesterday, I turned my attention to see what he might want us to “remember” in the times in which we find ourselves. Loud and clear, I hear him calling us to make the most of every opportunity today to make friends for eternity.
My dear friend and brother, Patrick Johnson, who serves with Generous Church, or “Saint Patrick” as I like to call him, contracted COVID. In our messaging back and forth he reminded that our lives are but a mist and a vapor. Soon we will all pass away, barring our Lord’s return.
Please pray with me for his recovery. I think God still has global generosity work cut out for him. God knows I need his help! But the reality is that all of us will die sometime. So what is the only right way to prepare for that day, which could be sooner than we think?
Each of us must remember to make friends for eternity starting today. We do this by using worldly wealth to accomplish eternal purposes. How will you use what you have to make friends for eternity starting right now? I offer two suggestions as the year starts.
Firstly, set up automatic giving from your income to your church and a portfolio of ministries that do work that God cares about. Secondly, take inventory of your assets, mark which ones you want to store up in heaven, and determine when and how you will do it. Share this with one person to hold you accountable.
By this way, should your life meet a rapid end, you will be glad rather than fearful at your last breath. And both 100 years from now and 100 million years from now, you will be thankful because you rightly prepared for your everlasting dwelling. Remember today is the only day to get prepared!