The Finish Line: Living With Eternity in Mind. Why your daily choices shape your legacy and your forever.

The Christian life is often referred to as a race. But a sprint it is not! It is a marathon with a finish line that extends beyond this world. 

Each day we live, each decision we make, is one more step on that journey toward eternity. 

But what happens when we take our eyes off the finish line and lose sight of the prize? 

We begin to live as if this world is all there is, making choices based on comfort, convenience, and temporary rewards instead of eternal impact.

In 2 Timothy 4:7–8 (NKJV), the Apostle Paul, nearing the end of his earthly race, writes: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 

Paul is one brother who had every reason to quit. He endured beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, and betrayal. How many of us feel battered and bruised by people and situations and wonder day after day how much more can we take?

Like Paul, we are encouraged to press on. Not because life is easy, but because, like Paul, we have a goal - eternity.

Consider your own life. What are you pressing toward? 

Can I tell you? If the goal is approval from others, a bigger house, or a perfect Instagram or TikTok feed, more subscribers on YouTube, then we have totally missed the mark. 

Why? Because while none of those things are necessarily wrong, if they become the finish line, we will be crossing empty-handed.

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:19–20 (NKJV): “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” 

So what does it look like to lay up treasure in heaven? 

It’s choosing forgiveness over bitterness. It’s standing for truth when everyone else is compromising. It’s choosing a life of obedience even when it costs you popularity, comfort, or applause.

Lot’s wife is a sobering example. 

In Genesis 19:26 (NKJV), we read: “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” 

Mrs Lot had one foot out of Sodom, but her heart was still in it. How many of us have stopped sinning with our bodies, but our hearts are still chained to what we left behind? 

Sister Lot’s backward glance was more than curiosity—it was misplaced affection. Eternity was ahead, but she was looking longingly at the past.

By contrast, Moses chose eternity over comfort. 

Hebrews 11:24–26 (NKJV) says, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” 

Moses could have lived in luxury, but he chose legacy. He could have remained in the palace, but he preferred God's promises.

What does that look like today? 

It means saying no to shortcuts at work, even if it costs us a promotion, because we value integrity. It means teaching our children the Word even when we’re tired, because we know that shaping their faith is more eternal than scrolling our feed. It means investing in someone else’s growth when we’d rather protect our time, because we’re building something that will outlive us.

Living with eternity in mind means your choices today are filtered through the lens of forever. That can seem overwhelming until you remember you’re not running alone. 

Hebrews 12:1–2 (NKJV) encourages us: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” 

This may not be true for some people who have a negatively competitive spirit. You know what I mean: those folks who don’t like to see others win.

But I believe there is strength in knowing that others have finished their race. For all of us, there must be great comfort in knowing that Jesus runs alongside us and waits for us at the finish. 

Isn’t that amazing? Picture this: Jesus was at the start of the race before us, He then runs beside us, and whether we arrive first, 55th or last place, He is at the finish line to welcome us.

The sooner some of us as Christians accept that we all have different assignments, the more cohesive we will be as a unit, the more unified we will be as the Body of Christ.

For indeed, some are called to preach, others to raise families, start businesses, teach, or serve in unseen places. 

But the one thing we all share is that the finish line is the same: standing before the Lord and hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, NKJV). 

That’s not a reward for popularity, but for faithfulness.

So, live intentionally. Guard your time. Choose your words carefully. Be present. Sow kindness. Invest in things that cannot be shaken by time, rust, or economic downturns. 

Eternity is real, Family, and it’s closer than we think. None of us has any time to waste with foolish behaviour.

May every step we take, from this day forward, be toward the finish line that matters most. 

Remember, it’s all about living the real Christian life. No faking, no pretending, no halfway business. But honest, genuine, 100% Jesus all the way.

aub - 6Jun25

www.zjoyvi.com

https://www.youtube.com/live/WuL0hOjdL-k?si=pRjvHbNAmu9092OT