What Really Matters?

Life. It's so short. So how do we live every bit of it? What really matters in life? Does how we live reflect what we say really matters?

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, how would you spend today? Would you tell your loved ones that you love them? ... Now think ahead a few months or years on - how would your loved ones look back on your last words to them. Would they be a reminder of your lifelong concern for them? Would your words of love bring to mind how well you had treated them and how you had looked out for the best interests of others? Or would they be a bitter disappointment - a memory of words that were never turned into action?

There are lots of warm and fuzzy emails out there that encourage us to say "I love you" to the people that matter to us. Those words by themselves have very little value. In fact, the words "I love you" can be painful - even traumatic - when they give the lie to the actions of those who say them.

Jesus told His followers: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Even the most ardent atheist would be hard-pressed to argue with the truth of that statement. Whether your treasure is time, money or other physical, mental or emotional resources, wherever you put that treasure is where your "heart" truly lies.

So what really matters to you? It's a question I have to keep asking myself. When I look truthfully at the answer it helps bring me back to the rocky and difficult path that leads to Eternal Life.

Where are you putting your treasure? Are your time and money being spent on the things that you say really matter? Are your relationships getting the attention they deserve from you? Are you willing to do the hard things for the people you say that you love?

A workmate once told me that she didn't really respect her Dad. "He let me get away with anything," she said. Sadly, his failure to put in the hard work of being a real father had broken their relationship.

Before you launch into your next project or passion, take a moment to think about whether it is really part of the legacy you want to leave behind - are you investing your treasure into some that really matters?

Putting God into the centre of your life is the only way to truly understand what really matters. As a starting point, try watching How Big Is Your God? on Beyond Today TV.

The End of Terror?

Osama Bin Laden is dead. What does that mean? Is it the end of terrorism? The beginning of peace? Hardly.

I'm no political expert, but I know a bit about the Bible. In the Bible, it warns of a time when "a thousand will flee at the threat of one". This has been true for a while in many Western countries. This has been true because these same countries are loudly rejecting God. While the US is meant to be a mostly "Christian" nation, it is Christian in name only. God doesn't think much of people who say they follow Him... but don't.

"Christians" continue to get divorced left, right and centre - God hates divorce. People who are already struggling with money get tricked and manipulated into overspending "to keep the economy healthy". God hates it when the poor are abused. Children are neglected and mistreated by the very people who should be caring for them. God hates children being mistreated. Lying is accepted as a part of everyday life. A "lying tongue" is an abomination to God.

The formula for the end of terror is very simple and guaranteed to work, given enough time: turn to God. No surveillance, no espionage, no delicate international negotiations. It doesn't even cost any money.

If you're interested in the role of the Middle East in Bible prophecy, you may like to read the free booklet The Middle East In Bible Prophecy.