How to Use Each Day for God

It would be easy to fall into a “Roman” mindset as Christians—to pay a tithe, obey the rules, stay out of trouble, and avoid rocking the boat. We could play it safe without ever doing anything significant, supposing our lives don’t make much difference in God’s Kingdom. But where’s the passion? Where’s the perspective? Where’s the purpose in a life lived like that?

As Christians, our job is to make every day of our existence on this earth count. God doesn’t want us to dwell on our past or to be intimidated by our present circumstances. He wants us to move forward by keeping our eyes on Him and becoming who He created us to be.

For the Christian, All Roads Lead to Heaven

It might not have made much difference to the average Roman citizen that all roads led to Rome, but it makes a difference for us, as Christians, that all roads lead to heaven. Not one of us is a “mere” citizen of heaven, relegated to some insignificant outpost. Have you ever considered that there is no geographical center to God’s Kingdom? Our capital is wherever our King is, and He never leaves our side (Hebrews 13:5).

Unlike the average Roman citizen who had little chance of gaining an audience with the emperor in Rome, we have an invitation to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, emphasis added). It would have been laughable for a Roman citizen to request a personal bodyguard, yet the child of God has “ministering spirits [angels] sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14, NIV). In other words, God has dispatched the legions of heaven to serve and protect us personally.

The privileges of God’s Kingdom are remarkable, but we have another vital aspect of heavenly citizenship to consider. Not only are all the privileges of the Kingdom of heaven ours, but so are all the responsibilities. Every Christian must see their gifts, calling, location, resources—everything they are and have—as vital in the Kingdom of heaven. God gave each of us a unique gift and purpose, and He expects us to fulfill them as only we can for as long as we can.

Faithful to the End

It can be challenging for those who find themselves in trying circumstances to look beyond their surroundings and view life with a sense of significance. One young pastor in Zimbabwe, Africa, has written something that should challenge each of us:

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made—I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on [H]is presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions are few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And, when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me... my banner will be clear.

Those words were found among that pastor’s belongings after he had been taken out and killed for his faith. But I can assure you that he did not die in vain. The people he impacted in his corner of the world were changed forever. He did not consider importance, wealth, or position to be his qualifications for service. He simply had a passion for serving God—he knew his privileges and his responsibilities. One of the roads to heaven ran through Zimbabwe, and he was on it.

Don’t Just Sit Around

Have you heard the story about the guy who’d always wanted to be a pilot, so he tied a bunch of helium-filled weather balloons to a lawn chair and shot up to about 12,000 feet? When a Navy helicopter finally towed him back to earth, a news reporter asked him why he had done it. His answer? “Well, a man can’t just sit around.”

As Christians, we have a chance to share that fellow’s passion for life, for doing what we love. Instead of “sitting around,” we can embark on the road to heaven that runs through our part of the Kingdom. Let us not lose sight of the fact that our gifts and calling from God are critically important to the mission of God.

God treats each of us as if we were the sole citizen of heaven. We might have been insignificant in the Roman Empire, but in heaven, we fill the entire screen. There is no question about our value in God’s sight. The only question is this: Are we sitting around, or is our gaze fixed on the road leading to heaven?

This article originally appeared in Turning Points devotional magazine.