What does it mean to be a Christian and live with the end in mind? Some feel that it’s ignoring the “now” and living in anticipation of only the future. Keeping focus on heaven while avoiding the world around them. Many Christians live like this; forsaking their current life in the name of righteousness and heavenly reward. We often call these people devout or often, fundamentalists. The mindset with such people is that this life was “spoiled” when sin entered into human existence (Gen. 3), and because of the sin, this life is a lost cause. I don’t judge these people because I understand the dilemma.
The Bible is confusing and seems almost contradictory in some areas. Where we are told to take action in one verse, we are told to forsake everything in another. We find this often in the New Testament. For example, Philippians 3:7-11 we encounter the Apostle Paul telling the Church of Philippi that he does not care about anything in his past that he has given up to follow Christ. Paul labels all things he forsake as “rubbish” or garbage. In other words, Paul explains that all he has lost, he feels is worth nothing because comparted to him gaining Jesus. For many, this means that acquiring Christ in our lives is all that matters and anything outside of that should be discarded.
On the contrary, Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 6:19-20:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Cor. 6:19-20
These verses seem to clash. In 1 Cor. 6:19-20, Paul tells us to take care of the body, yet his letter to the Philippian church tells us that he considers all things rubbish that he gave up. So which is it?
Paul chose to live his life exclusively for Christ in every way–to the point where his expectations of others seemed unattainable at times. For fundamental thinkers, Paul’s words become laws (like the Old Testament), which often leads to self-isolation (or family isolation) along with making criticisms and harsh judgements of others who do not do the same. For those who adopt this method of thinking, sharing the Gospel becomes secondary to living by the letter for the sake of personal righteousness and proper obedience. This is contrary to what Jesus instructs his followers to do.
Living with the end in mind is not about works to be done out of human obligation, it’s about having the heart of Christ. In Matt. 9:12-13, Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Jesus references this verse to bring attention to the Jews striving to live perfectly by the letter of the law, yet ignoring the Spirit and the heart that God desires.
We are to live this life with The Lord as our focus and not what this world can provide. Can a Christian be into fitness? Absolutely, but as soon as fitness becomes the focus of your mind, it’s no longer just an activity. Can a Christian be a CEO and make over $200,000 a year? Sure, but if money becomes more important than serving others and God, then we make money, materialism and power our focus instead of the one who gave us the job in the first place.
Living with the end in mind is realizing that we are to live in the world but not of it. It’s understanding that life on earth is a brief stage of eternity. The only way to live with this viewpoint is to seek first the Kingdom of God and all things will be added unto us (Matt. 6:33).
To live with the end in mind is to know who we we will spend eternity with and examine our own hearts to see if we make choices and take actions that reflect one that truly follows Christ. It’s not about hiding away until Jesus returns or winning theological debates online or following Paul’s words to the letter–it’s about fulfilling the last commandment Jesus gave us, to follow him and bring the Gospel to the world. When our hearts match the heart of Christ and our lives radiate his love, mercy and forgiveness through the Holy Spirit, we can’t help but live with the end in mind.
