Have you ever wondered what lies beyond the horizon? Right now I am standing on a mountain top watching the sunset. There is a mountain off in the distance thatappears even closer to the sun. I think to myself, “I would see what’s beyond the horizon if only I could get to that peak.” But what do I see when I’m there? Another horizon with perhaps another sunset. And beyond that horizon only lies another horizon. So, the answer to “what lies beyond the horizon?” is “another horizon!” If we’re striving to find something greater, then what’s beyond the horizon will disappoint us every time. It doesn’t really vary from our previous view. Sure, there will be different views at every peak we climb, but we’ll never actually get past the horizon. What if we switched the question around? What if we asked what lies above the horizon?

This is what Yuri Gagarin did on April 12, 1961. At 17,500 MPH (the fastest a man had ever traveled at that point), Yuri pierced through our atmosphere and orbited earth to spend 108 minutes discovering space for the very first time in human history! It is no doubt that this was an amazing adventure with the sights of many more adventures to come. But this story again raises the question: what’s beyond this? What’s beyond space? Well, similar to horizons, it’s just more space: more galaxies, more stars, more planets. Sure, it’s different; but it’s nothing really new. That leads us to the question: what lies above space? That would be what we’re all looking for: Eternity. Live in light of that.

“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Hebrews 13:14, NIV

Living for Eternity is not always the easiest thing to do. So, when the going gets tough, remember WHO you’re living for. Because of the enemy, it may seem like we are the minority in the world. That may be true in terms of numbers, but the power of God far outweighs numbers. What is so amazing about living for eternity is the hope that we have in Christ. Nothing is more powerful than correctly placed hope. So, as we may be being persecuted on the outside, we are renewed inwardly each day. We are given new life in Christ each day (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we can look forward to spending eternity with Him someday. But until then, we must be making Kingdom causes by living in light of what He did for us. We need to focus on the eternal glory that our momentary troubles are achieving. Our sight determines so much of our hope and our hope determines our destiny. So, fix your eyes on the unseen- the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). When that is your view, you’ll never stop hoping for what is important.

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?”  Romans 8:24, NIV

One of the awesome things about living for eternity is that fear has no hold on us. Christ has defeated even death once and for all, for all of us (2 Corinthians 5:15). Being afraid of death and the other evil of this world is doubting God’s power and authority. If we keep our eyes on Christ, we will someday be with Him.

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” 2 Corinthians 5:1, NIV

But how do we get to that eternal house? Jesus says in John 14:4 that we already “know the way to the place where [He is]  going.” The way is not by our own power. We could travel by foot until we see every horizon, but we’ll just end up right back to where we started (because the earth is round). We could fly through space and never reach the end of it (because space is infinite). But we cannot run or fly to eternity. Jesus, Himself is the only way.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

It’s only by Him that we can get to heaven. So, stop trying to get beyond the horizon. You’ll probably have some cool experiences and there may even be some awesome things that happen along the way but you won’t get anywhere in the end, you won’t find what you’re looking for. Live courageously for what’s above. Don’t let anything stand in your way. Call out to Jesus in your weakness; ask Him to take you there. Live in light of what He did for us, not in light of what you can do for yourself. Live Intently For Eternity.

L.I.F.E. – – – Live Intently For Eternity

Life is not about living for ourselves, it is about living, earnestly, in light of what He did for us.