884 Hope Beyond Death - 1 Corinthians 15-19

What do you spend your time hoping for? "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." 1 Corinthians 15:19 ESV Our hope determines our aim. We live toward our hope. So what You hope for matters. I confess I still hope for material ease and comfort. The problem is, neither of those things will last beyond this physical world. Jesus spent a lot of energy helping us see there was a life after this one. He told stories and parables. There is much recorded in the scripture about what Jesus said about our life beyond this world. I was tempted to say "the next life," but I believe Jesus made it clear that we have that next life the moment we trust him. That's why he said the kingdom of heaven was at hand. (Mark 1:15) So he encouraged us to lay up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). He wanted us to send things ahead. But the only thing there would be the rewards we're given for how we live here on earth. The stuff we compile and the comforts we save up won't go with us. Today, let's remember that what we do for others, and the way we love others will go with us to the next world. We have a great promise in that regard. If we live like we know that even the cups of water we give (Matthew 10:42) will count for rewards in our eternal life. How we live matters. Invest in the lives of the people you're with. Go out of your way to show appreciation for your coworkers, customers and vendors. Join us on the next Marketplace Mission Trip. One begins next week based on when this airs, but one is always on the schedule. Head over to www.MarketplaceMissionTrip.com and request an invitation.