I watched the premiere of You, Me and the Apocalypse last night on NBC. The show is based on the premise that an eight-mile-wide comet will annihilate the world in thirty-four days. The greater fiction is not that a planet-destroying comet is coming, but that we have another thirty-four days to live.
The fact is, tomorrow is promised to no one.
Yesterday we observed the thirtieth anniversary of the Challenger disaster. The tragedy still reminds us that life is fragile. President Reagan concluded his tribute to the fallen astronauts: “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.'”
We know that we will stand before God one day (2 Corinthians 5:10). But it’s easy to think about that fact later. We’re busy people facing challenging times. Why is our accountability in heaven relevant to us on earth?
Because the God of heaven is also the God of earth. He is both omnipresent and omniscient. He is where you are right now, a fact Jacob learned at Bethel: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Genesis 28:16).
He is reading your thoughts this moment: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. . . . Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether” (Psalm 139:1–2, 4).
Think of the person whose opinion means the most to you. Imagine going through your day with that person at your side, hearing everything you say and watching everything you do. Imagine that this person has been granted omniscience and can read your thoughts. How will your day be different?
An essential leadership principle is that people do not do what you expect—they do what you inspect. God knows that this is so. That’s why his word so clearly teaches that he is present in all we think, say, and do.
Now add this fact: The Lord who inspects us also empowers us. If you’ll ask God’s Spirit to guide and strengthen you for God’s purposes (Ephesians 5:18), he will answer your prayer.
So stay conscious of God’s presence today, and you will impact your culture and glorify your Father. Your mortal life will produce immortal good.
Is there a better way to live?
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