This is NOT our home.

Tonight, I went to Missions in the Main Hall at Bethlehem. I was really tired this afternoon and I thought about skipping. Glad I didn't. I sat on the floor along with probably a couple hundred other people and was blown away by Pastor John's message on missions. If it was recorded, I strongly encourage you to listen to it. Much better than what I'm writing. But here's my take on it...

He talked about how sad it is when we become satisfied with the little things of this earth and when people live as if this is their "final chapter" in life. Heaven is our final chapter and we should not live as if this were heaven. We have the hope of an eternity in heaven...that's why we can give our lives away to missions here on this earth. He said we need to "get it settled" that our reward is not in this life. Total satisfaction is coming. Don't try to seek it out in things of this earth. Give, give, give. Love, love, love.

One of the other things that stood out to me from his message - if we know the central thing, we can be ignorant in 10,000 other ways and we will be relevant to everyone...because "you will never meet a human being who doesn't have a cavernous longing...for God."

Tonight was both encouraging and convicting. Many times I think I live as if this were my final chapter/heaven. I am selfish with my time and find myself seeking satisfaction in little things rather than seeking what my heart is really longing for - God. May I not look to other little piddly things to satisfy my "cavernous craving for God." People, friends, emails, money, marriage, kids, music, shopping, entertainment, attention and the other thousands of things we may be seeking to satisfy never will fill the deep craving of our hearts. It encouraged me that we should be people who are willing to give our lives for others to share the amazing, life-giving message we have.