Published: April 25, 2008 03:41 pm            

How should I spend my time?

My sister-in-law, Judy, is in the last days of fighting cancer. As I think about and pray for her, I find myself reflecting on the short length of time we get to spend on earth and the value of that short time.

As we have discussed before, the really important events of time and eternity are happening right now on this planet. Since creation, we have been watched, assisted, corrected, given many chances, and sacrificed for. We must be pretty important, and what is happening here must be important as well in the bigger scheme of things.

So, how will we spend this time? Will we live it ignorant of or in denial of the bigger reality of God's interest and plans for us? Or, will we develop the habit of remembering this bigger picture and acting as if it is true?

Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Christians were routinely persecuted for their faith by the Communist regime. We have many inspiring stories of courageous Christians behind the Iron Curtain who were willing to die for their faith during this difficult period in world history.

One such story involves a house church in a city in the former Soviet Union. The small group of believers who gathered there was afraid to carry Bibles, so they memorized large sections of the New Testament and recited Scripture to each other.

Each week they would arrive at the house at different times, to avoid arousing the suspicions of KGB informers. On one particular Sunday the church members were all safely inside the building with the windows closed and doors locked. They began the service by softly singing a hymn and praying.

Suddenly, the door burst open and two soldiers armed with automatic weapons walked in. One shouted, “All right, everybody up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, you can leave now and no harm will come to you.”

Two or three church members left, then another. “This is your last chance!” the other soldier warned. “Either turn your back on this Jesus of yours or stay and suffer the consequences!”

Another member left. Two more covered their faces in shame and slipped out into the night. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down on the spot or, at the very least, imprisoned.

After a few moments of silence, the soldiers closed the door and looked back at the church members left standing against the wall. One of them said, “Keep your hands up-but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church several weeks ago to arrest a group of believers, but instead, we were converted.”

The other soldier added, “We are sorry to have frightened those who left, but we have learned that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted.”

We have been given very clear and specific directions for living our lives here with meaning and purpose- love God and love others. We love God by discovering our gifts and using them at His direction for our short mission here. We love Him by believing He has our best interests at heart. This belief makes our obedience to Him make sense whether the tasks ahead of us are easy or hard.

We love others as if our life here is not our only life. This is a missions trip, and eventually we will go home and do what we're supposed to do there.

        

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