What are we building?

There are so many things we are told we should be building.  A life, a career, relationships, a network, a legacy, an empire, a bank account, a reputation, a home, and the list goes on.

But what does God tell us to build?

When He called His disciples, He asked them to leave whatever they were "building" - a fishing business, being a tax collector (career), etc. - to follow Him.  

Where?  To do what?  These are questions that we ask Jesus all the time.  Did the disciples ask Him these questions?  We don't have record of it, if they did.  None of the gospels say that the disciples questioned Jesus' call to them to follow Him.  They just did.  They dropped whatever they were doing and listened to Him.

That takes guts.  

Now did they have all the trappings of life that we have today?  The modern conveniences?  Technology?  Of course not.  Did that make it easier for them to give up stuff and follow Jesus wholeheartedly?  Maybe.  Maybe not. 

Nowadays, problem is we have many more "rich young rulers" around than in previous generations.  You may be familiar with his story in Matthew 19.  He was a "good person."  He did his best to keep God's commandments all his life.  But he was still searching.

How do we know?  He asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life.  With all of his riches, position, and property, he was still looking for something beyond himself.  That's because we are all wired in exactly the same way:  to want and know God because that is where true meaning is found.

So Jesus tells him flat out what he needs to do in order to gain eternal life.  Sell all he has, give it to the poor, and follow Him.

That's the problem: when we really want to know what Jesus wants of us, He tells us.  

But do we really want to know the answer?  Are we just gathering info or do we want to know what He wants of us because He is Lord and is the only one with the answers?

Apparently, the rich young ruler valued his stuff more than eternal life, because he went away sad, unwilling to give up all of his temporal goods in order to do the smart thing and follow Jesus. 

Jesus was offering him, as He offers each one of us, what really matters.  Jesus offers us eternal life.  Eternal!  Money, property, possessions - all of these come and go.  They all have an end.  Eternal life has no end.

When you spell it out like that, it makes perfect sense to invest in what lasts forever over stuff that does not.

Yet millions of people insist on putting all of their hope, energy, and lives into things that will one day cease to exist.  Their building temporary stuff.

Jesus invites us to join Him on the great adventure of building His everlasting Kingdom!  It looks weird to the world, to those who haven't joined His band yet, but who cares what they think?  They're following after false gods anyway!

God's Kingdom is His people!  We are building people!  We are inviting others to join us in following our perfect Leader because He is God and always knows best.  

Jesus was misunderstood by many.  Still is.

The Jews wanted Him to be their deliverer, as promised, right then and there.  They wanted Him to deliver them from the power of the Roman Empire so they could set up their own kingdoms and rule and be free from the tyranny of the leaders of the day.

But God's plan was much more far reaching and far-sighted than they were expecting.

Jesus was their Deliverer.  Just not in the way they wanted or thought.

Jesus delivers us from the kingdom of darkness - sin, the world, and the devil - into His Kingdom of Light!  He delivers us from our wicked sinful natures.  He delivers us from evil.  He delivers us into His glorious Presence where we have no business being except for the truth that He died so that we could be there!

God has so much more of us than we can see, know, and experience in this world and life.  His will goes far beyond this fleeting, temporary life.  The older you get, the more your realize just how fleeting it is!

Jesus knows our hearts.  He knows that we all want our lives to matter and count for something.  He knows that there will be the "movers and shakers" who build the world we see around us.  And that is a good thing!  We need builders, innovators, leaders, etc., in this world.

But what we need more is Him.  We need to know our place after this life ends, for that is the one that lasts forever.  

And only Jesus offers eternal life because He is the Author of it.  

This is not some pie in the sky stuff!  This is Reality!  We will all die one day.  No one has figured out a way out of it and no one ever will.  You can eat all the right foods, exercise every day, and you will still die one day!  

So the question is, how far out have you planned?  Have you planned for eternity?  Are you building for eternity?  

Jesus calls us to follow Him and become builders of His Kingdom!  That is why I write!  That is my purpose in life all around.  I write so that you know that there is more to life than the here and now.  I want you to come to know Jesus so that you can know why you were born, why you are still here, and so that you, too, can have eternal life!  

Won't you join Jesus and follow Him on His eternal adventure?  

Dear Lord.  Your Kingdom is forever.  You have called us to come and help You build it!  What an honor!  What a privilege!  Knowing that we have this to look forward to is what keeps us going through this life that offers no real lasting hope or happiness.  Thank You, Lord, for the promise and reality of Your future and forever Kingdom!  Help us build it each and every day, as You will.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.