“Everything you see will die and rot. Every title you can earn will be lost.
Every glory you receive from men will turn to nothing.
Live for that which is eternal.
Live for the one who died for you.”
– Paul Washer
“And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
2 Kings 6:11-17
What a vision. A mountain, packed with angels mounted on fierce horses, alongside a host of chariots of fire. Elisha wasn’t the least bit worried about the human army surrounding his city who were assembled to kill him, knowing that the spiritual realm is far more powerful than the natural realm.
“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18
We don’t always live like the spiritual realm has more power or is more significant than what we see. We freak out over small, insignificant things, get wound up (and wrapped around) our possessions, obsess about having more, allow the turmoil of the world to screw us into the ceiling, (tranquilizer anyone?), treat church like a thing we do in the weekend instead of a doorway into eternity, and often live without giving God a second thought. Fear parks at the doorway of our heart, knowing it will get plenty of opportunities to wreak havoc. Sometimes all it takes is several minutes watching the news, conflict in a relationship, or having our comfort bubble threatened.
And prayer? If we really believed and understood that prayer was the most potent force in the universe, as Charles Spurgeon called it, every believer would be a prayer warrior and every church would run prayer meetings 7 days a week.
What we do reveals what we believe. And love.
Chariots of Fire. War. This is no gentle nativity scene Elisha finds himself in. God’s army of warrior-angels is ready to route the enemy once their commander gives the signal to advance. Angels are powerful compared to us; in the scenes in Scripture when a human encounters an angel, the human is usually terrified. Every believer who chooses to live for the eternal will get drawn into spiritual firefights. The churches that understand we’re at war will equip their people in prayer and warfare and have them on their knees Sunday morning.
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Colossians 3:1-2
If our heart is set on pouring our lives out until the end for that which has eternal significance, retirement isn’t an option. Suffering, sorrow, and pain are an expected part of the game. Whether we feel well or not, we press through. Paul suffered often; why shouldn’t we?
“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
1 Peter 4:1-2
Suffering is part of the Rogue Christian’s way of life. We don’t ask for pain or seek it out, but when it hits we don’t run away from it.
Spending large amounts of time and money accumulating a pile of stuff-things, hours spent binging on entertainment, or worse, falling into a hole of sin without doing anything about it or getting help, are traps. Some people’s social media news feeds make it look like life is a big party of trips and pleasure.
Instead, we invest our lives in:
Going hard after God.
Prayer. Every day. Often.
Immersing our hearts, minds, and emotions in God’s word.
People. Pouring our lives out into others, starting with our spouse and family members. We ask God for opportunities to be a blessing to others, especially hurting people.
Interceding for others in prayer.
We ask God to open doors for us and we go through them, with Him, as He leads.
“But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”
Isaiah 50:7
Living for eternity comes at a cost. We can’t have as much of the world we can get while trying to live for the eternal. The choices we make, what we invest our treasure in, and how we spend our time reveal who or what we really love, or are living for.
