Doing Away with Trivia
I recently read the following moving story of what has happened to Tom, a missionary pilot in Mexico - one of those servants of the Lord who had the important task of taking Gospel workers into places they could otherwise never go. This included a mountain village in Mexico where the pilots have been God's instruments to launch a mighty work for Christ.
When they landed in this remote mountainous village, his parents who flew with him, were completely overwhelmed by what they saw on landing. There to greet Tom was a crowd of cheering Mexican friends. And they were holding a banner that simply said "Welcome home, Captain Tom!"
I'm hoping that on reaching heaven, you and I can get a "welcome home" like that - and it all depends on what we live for in the years until we go home.
But then came the crash. With three missionary pilots and several passengers aboard, a defect in their plane's almost new engine caused this terrible crash. Tom was one of those who survived that crash that could very well have killed everyone.
The villagers who loved them actually travelled hours to reach them and rescue them. Tom was badly injured, and his recovery was not only long, but very gruelling. While he was never able to fly a plane again, after being released from hospital and having done weeks of rehabilitation, a fellow pilot flew him back to the village where he and others had pioneered the Christian work.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, Paul writes these words to the people in whom he's invested so much of his life and ministry: "What is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy."
Paul is looking forward to getting to heaven and seeing a lot of people that he touched for eternity. That is the welcoming party he's living for - to be with all those who have loved and followed the Lord Jesus, because of his ministry amongst them.
Basically, Paul says there are two things that matter in life: the Saviour you love and serve and the lives you touch. That is your reward for the years you spend on this planet, that's your legacy, that's your joy. Or at least it's supposed to be.
It's possible that your life's priorities have become a little inverted by the pressures and the people and the problems that tend to fill up your life. You've been taken over by a truckload of worldly-stuff.
One friend of mine summed it up pretty well the other day. When someone asked him if he's ever played Trivial Pursuit, he says, "Every day." He's not talking about the game. He's talking about his life. So many of the things we are involved in, so many of the things that occupy our time, so many of the things we hanker after - are all trivial pursuits.
Just hearing about Pilot Tom's "welcome home" was an important values-clarification reminder. If you've become consumed and sidetracked with a lot of stuff that's non-eternal, maybe it's time to get close to Jesus and replace your agenda with His agenda to "seek first His kingdom" (Matthew 6:33). Why should you?
Well here is the reason - because Jesus showed His love for you in dying on the Cross. He gave His life for yours, so that you are able to have the certainty of all your sins being wiped out, and to have the guarantee of eternal life. If Christ has done all that for you, how can you not love Him with all your heart and serve Him joyfully and sacrificially?
And if you're a little weary or discouraged in your faithful service for Jesus, I hope you'll be encouraged by the thought of the legacy you're developing and the people that have been touched by your sacrifices - people who will be thanking you forever. Because you were even prepared to risk your life in proclaiming and living for the Lord Jesus, means that people have been drawn into the Lord’s eternal Kingdom. The lives that have been touched by your love and care, will be "credited to your account" (Philippians 4:17).
All that really matters is who's going to meet you when you get to heaven. If you truly love the Lord Jesus, if you have finished with trivial pursuits, if you are seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, serving Him with everything that He has entrusted to you, there is no doubt, no uncertainty that when you are called to your eternal home, there the Saviour will welcome you with the words you have lived to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Also to welcome you, will be the people your life in Christ has touched for eternity. Who knows, maybe they'll be holding a banner with your name on it that says, "Welcome home!" Grace and peace...