The Ultimate Prize: PART I
By Eld. Prof. Charles Mayaka
Every professing Christian and believer has the goal of inheriting the Kingdom of God according to God’s promises in the Holy Bible. The followers of Christ are inspired to lead a life that is pleasing before God by following God’s instructions and laws with the goal of attaining eternal life. It is every Christian’s belief that Christ will descends from heaven to take home those who remained faithful. His word in John 14: 2-3 is very clear, as Jesus Christ ascended to heaven on that day, he spoke to his disciples and the Galileans, saying;
“I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
These comforting and encouraging words spoken by Jesus Christ gives assurance and hope to believers; that those who have faith, trust and believe in God should continue to pursue the Christian ideals and Christ’s work of spreading the good news to win the prize that awaits them at the end of time. God’s promise of eternal life is further amplified in Christ’s words; as captioned in these passages;
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand” John 10:28
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment, but has crossed over from death to life” John 5:24
The question in every believer’s mind should therefore be; “What does investing in eternity represent?” The promise of “eternal life” brings to mind an inheritance of all that is beautiful and glorious in God’s kingdom, a life without end, a world without end, goodness without end – a life filled with love, peace, joy, beauty, happiness, purity, and every imaginable good thing. To the believer, the promise of eternity is the ultimate goal of Christian life. It is the prize and reward to those who follow and adhere to God’s word, teachings and instructions.
Investing in eternity, therefore, is a deliberate commitment by a believer to consistently live by God’s laws, instructions and teachings. This means that my, and your eternity, is a lifelong pursuit of choices and actions that start when we first encounter and come to know Christ, that is, when we first believed.
Therefore, every step and action a believer takes, that is according to God’s will and Word, takes the believer closer to attaining eternity.
FROM WORDS TO ACTIONS
There is one thing I know, which my parents taught me many years ago, and which remain embedded in my heart to this day. It has been proved many times over that doing good and being kind pays back many times more. That the road to eternity is paved with opportunities, obstacles and challenges which demand of a believer to use God given abilities to navigate through by faith, and by trust in God, to complete the race.
You will not believe it, but to this day I hear my mother’s voice saying, “my son, be good, be kind, never turn away or get tired from doing what is right and what is good; and our father in heaven will see your good deeds and reward you accordingly. And this has proved true, for whenever I do something that touches another person or makes a difference to them, the person will look at me with gratitude and say “God bless you.” Thus, I can say without fear of contradiction, that my life’s journey has been and continues to be lined up with blessings as a result of my thoughts and actions. My progress and achievement in life are the result of God’s grace and mercy, attributed to the many voices of people saying “thank you, and God bless you.”
The question to every believer therefore should be, “how am I using my talent, resources and time to impact on God’s people?” There is no action or thought that is insignificant when it is made out of love and deep concern for others. Many a time, one’s action and thoughtful response carried out by a person could be an answer to someone’s prayer. There are occasions when a recipient to a kind action or gesture, would inquire, “are you sure you were not sent by God?” What a humbling experience – that God would use his lowly servant to do his work as a direct answer to prayer!
In a world full of obstacles, challenges, needs and desperation, doing good and being kind should be a believer’s guiding principles on how to live and impact on humanity along Life’s Journey. The principles are there to guide our thoughts, our words, and indeed our actions and deeds. As we grow in our faith, it becomes clear that it is the little things, the little actions of kindness and even thoughtful words of encouragement to others that matter.
And this is key to leading a peaceful, abundant and fulfilling life. There are many examples of actions and acts of kindness, concern for others, and a call to service to humanity that a believer could invest in; offering a compliment, holding a door for someone, volunteering in church, donating clothing and foodstuff, helping a neighbor, expressing gratitude, offering material or financial support, helping in doing some work, visiting the sick, listening with empathy, showing courtesy to someone, teaching young ones, and coaching others on specific skills; the list is endless. In other words, believers are called to invest their God given potential; time, efforts and resources to serve others, thus creating a better world right here on earth. These investments by believers contribute to making a “little heaven” down here – joy, peace, harmony, love, happiness, sharing, support and encouragement.
But it is not easy to come to this conclusion. Many of us in the present life are captivated by many things that promise prosperity, happiness, joy and good living. These things, in our mind’s eye, represented a wonderful and beautiful world; for young children these could be flowers, butterflies, good food, visiting relatives, listening to grandma tell stories by the fireplace, and playing and being just a child. But alas, with the passage of time, the things that represented a world of beauty to the young mind become insignificant. They are then replaced by material things and possessions that we think are important and are a must have… cars, houses, good clothes, cinema, music, and the many glamourous attractions of the world.
But is this all that there is to life? The resounding answer is no! Because a life that is driven by the search and accumulation of money and material wealth is an empty life. One can possess all these things but still feel empty; not finding peace, fulfilment and meaning in life. Such a soul will yearn to find greater purpose to life. That purpose or meaning is only achieved by God’s direct intervention, through his grace and mercy, by revealing himself to humanity; when we first encounter Jesus (like Paul), and welcome him to take his rightful place in our hearts!
To lead a life full of purpose, a believer must know that God created humankind for his purpose. One must encounter God, by hearing the word, accepting the word, and believing that Christ is the son of God. One must repent and be baptized to start on a new life; a life of worship, praise, thanksgiving and adoration, repentance and obedience. An encounter with Christ begins a new chapter in a believer’s life.
Many Christians lead such an unfulfilled life until they have an encounter with the Lord. I remember hearing my mother singing;
“I have found a friend in Jeus, he is everything to me, he is the fairest of ten thousand to my soul; He is the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star, He is the fairest of ten thousand to my souls,
In sorrow he is my comfort, in trouble he is my stay, he tells me everything to him to roll….
Yes, when we encounter this friend (Jesus), He brings a total change in our lives. The friend removes the scales from our eyes to enable us see the things that really matter in life. As the Psalmists says, “all is vanity and chasing after the wind.” When man focuses on transient things, things that do not last but rust and decay, we put our energies, talent and resources on temporal things that end here on earth, things that do not lead to eternity.
The encounter with Jesus changes all that. Christ answers the question and quest of a believer’s purpose by teaching and showing us the things that are really valuable and that matter in life. Jesus in His word tells us;
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things“. Philippians 4:8.
CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER
When we reflect carefully on words above, we learn that the thoughts that preoccupy one’s mind determines one’s character, which in turn influences their behaviors, responses, the actions. As believers, it is important to do self-reflection and ask the question of whether we are leading a life according to God’s purpose. Whether our decisions and actions make a positive difference and contribute to the betterment of society; whether we lead a life that constitutes investing in eternity.
The answers to these questions are once again found in the good word; The parable of Hidden treasures in Mathew 13:44. The parable tells us that the Kingdom of God is like, finding treasure in a field, hiding it, looking for money, and coming back later to buy it.
In essence, eternity or the Kingdom of God is of great value that those who come to know about it should forego everything in order to attain it. When we come to know the love of God in Jesus Christ’s redemption of mankind on the Cross, hear the word, accept the word – that Jesus is the saviour of the world, understand our sinful nature, feel the guilty and genuine remorse, repent, be baptized, grow in fellowship – Our Christian journey begins—–Joy is found in living the word, joy is found in spreading the word, and joy is found in using our resources to further the kingdom. And that should be a believer’s principal goal.
When we come to this knowledge, our every thought, word, and action are guided by his teachings and instructions. As God instructs us in His word;
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Mathew 6: 19-21
The heavenly treasures relate to our relationship with God and our spirit. These treasures are everlasting and are rewarded in the now and in the world to come (heaven). We earn these treasures as a result of our good works, perseverance, persecution, sacrifice, troubles in relation to Gods work and tempests and upheavals in the present world.
To invest in eternity requires a visualization of the beauty and blissfulness of heaven. Every believer who comes to this knowledge and understanding will put everything aside to commit and seek this beautiful promise…the Ultimate Prize!
To be continued in PART II
Eld. Prof. Charles Mayaka Is the CEO of the Institute of Directors Kenya and former CEO/Director of Strategy at Trinity Group. A seasoned scholar & practitioner, he has led programs and taught at Kenyatta University, USIU, Daystar, Kabarak and others, previously heading KU’s Business Administration Department and directing USIU’s CEED. He has worked with multicultural teams across East Africa, the USA and China, and champions ethical leadership, mentorship and intra-Africa trade.
