We were watching Air Force One on TV the other night. There is a scene where the main terrorist Bad guy has a gun to the head of the woman (Press Secretary? I don’t know, I wasn’t watching that closely) who let him and his fellow terrorists onto the flight; she thought they were Russian journalists who had clearance to interview POTUS (I mean, seriously?!).
POTUS manages to stay hidden during this hostile take over and is wreaking havoc on the terrorists plans; big Bad guy is getting cranky. So Bad guy forces this woman to sit in front of him and tells her to beg for her life. This exchange is being broadcast throughout the plane in an attempt to force POTUS to give himself up to the terrorists in order to save his staffer’s life. With the gun still to her head Bad guy asks her why she is afraid.
“Because I don’t want to die,” she says, tears running down her cheeks.
My foggy brain and partial concentration on the movie snapped into focus. I stopped crocheting and stopped wondering who was winning the match over on the US Open channel.
I don’t want to die. Her words clanged around in my head.
Why? Because everything she knew and loved was on earth?
Honestly, it probably wouldn’t have caught my attention except that day we received an email that a very dear man we’ve known for the past 10 years went to be with the Lord early in the afternoon.
He didn’t fear death.
His earthly circumstances did not steal his faith or sour his assurance in Christ. He didn’t just say he believed in Jesus, he actively lived out his faith every day because his assurance was that when he had run his race and finished his course he would immediately be in the presence of the Lord. In light of that, the world had nothing worth trying to hold on to, he looked forward to seeing Jesus!
Isn’t there a huge chasm between the desire to keep one’s life at all costs (and lose it) vs. the freedom of being able to lose one’s life (and gain it), ready to joyfully embrace eternity?
On each side of that chasm my focus is different. My goals are different. Who I trust is different. What I place my hope in is different.
It’s hard though, right? All I know is what’s right here in front of me. I find myself doing everything in my power to capture and save the wonderful moments in life and the compilation of those moments sometimes tricks me into thinking this is as good as it gets.
It’s not.
The only way to get from one side of that chasm to the other is by walking across the bridge of salvation. True salvation. Salvation that has wrecked us, torn into shreds the tendency to live for ourselves and by ourselves, bringing us helpless to the feet of Jesus; salvation that has bled and died to save us and has radically changed our lives. The secret is that all of us have eternity waiting for us, which side of the chasm we are on will decide where we spend it.
Salvation provides access to an eternity in the presence of Jesus Christ and that’s as good as it gets. Anything other than that is hell.
Choose Jesus.
My love for the Lord has to grow each day so that it pushes the world and all of it’s emptiness farther and farther away from my heart. With less of a hold on my heart it becomes easier to shake off the fake promises of fulfillment and peace that the world tries to sell.
More of Jesus increases my desire to see him.
More of Jesus increases my anticipation of that day.
More of Jesus increases the joy each day brings because it is one day closer to being with him.
More of Jesus helps me realize that every situation and circumstance in life is just one step along the path ordained for me, none of those things are the destination.
I want to finish my race well like our friend. I want to hear “well done good and faithful servant” as I step across the threshold and into the very presence of Jesus one day.
Jesus is my eternity. I hope he’s yours as well.