Jesus Our Example

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world – John 9:5

Perhaps because we look forward to an eternity in heaven, we sometimes feel very little urgency concerning our mission on earth. We may justify our inactivity in thekingdomofGodby assuring ourselves that we will spend forever with the Lord and have all the time we could wish to praise him.

But notice this. Jesus Christ not only will spend eternity on the throne of heaven, but has also existed from eternity as the second person of the godhead. Yet, this eternal Son of God repeatedly expressed a sense of personal urgency, purpose, and mission while he lived on this earth.

As long as Jesus was here, he was determined to be shining brightly forth the commandments and character of God. He never took a day off. He never procrastinated in his calling. He never excused idleness now because of eternal expectations or prospects.

Do you have that eternal-but-urgent perspective that Jesus expressed so thoroughly? How would your personal objective be expressed? “As long as I am in the world, my goal is to…” What? What is your mission statement?

Recognizing that His life was perfectly planned and purposed by God (John 7:30; 8:20; 12:23; 17:1), Jesus was determined to live exactly that number of days to the glory of God. The prospect of eternity gave more importance, not less, to Jesus’ days on this earth. Shouldn’t it do the same for us?