Nothing lasts forever, nothing, that is, except you and me.  Some might think that diamonds are forever, but give me a hammer and I'll show you how long they will last.  Nothing on this earth lasts forever, but our souls will.

          Last Sunday I spoke to you on "Finding Your Life's Purpose."  This week I want to continue that quest.  One of the first things we must remember is that you and I weren't put on earth to be remembered;  we're put here to be prepared for eternity.  We were made to last forever, so we must get ready for eternity.

          Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, was a champion tennis player at UCLA.  His trophy remained in the University's trophy case for years until it was mailed back to him some years later.  Someone had found it in the trash bin when the school was remodelled.  Dr. Dobson said, "Given enough time, all our trophies will be trashed by someone else."

          Some people spend their lives gathering trophies, or building a fortune others will inherit.  They write, they teach, they compose, or they amass a fortune, but it will all go to someone when they die.  We Christians must spend our lives getting ready for eternity.  It should be the driving force in our lives.

          If you think of it, we're all driven by something.  Many people are driven by guilt.  They spend their entire lives running from regrets and hiding from shame.  Others are driven by anger.  They hold on to their hurts and never get over them.  Many people are driven by fear, perhaps from a traumatic experience or a controlling parent.  Others are driven by materialism, and their desire to get and spend becomes the goal of their lives.  Still others are driven by their need for approval.  The expectations of parents or spouse or teachers or friends control their lives.

          We're all driven in life by something, and no matter what it is, if it's not God-centered, it's a roadmap for trouble.  Thomas Carlyle said, "A man without a purpose is a ship without a rudder."  Without a guide, you'll never get where you want to go.

          Knowing your purpose helps give meaning to your life.  It simplifies life and helps evaluate everything you do.  It keeps us focussed on what's important and what's not.  It motivates us to do more that's meaningful.  Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity, because we weren't put on earth to be remembered.  You and I were made to last forever, so let's be ready when forever comes.

          Life on earth is a dress rehearsal for the real production.  Earth is a staging area, the preschool, the tryout for eternity.  At most we will live a hundred years on this earth, but we will spend forever in eternity.  You and I will spend far more time on the other side of death than we will here.  The text for today says we're programmed for this:  "He has set eternity into the hearts of men."  We are made to last forever.

          I take pills every day to keep my heart beating steadily.  One day that heart will stop beating and that will be the end of my time on earth.  But it will not be the end of me.  Our bodies are the temporary residences of our souls, like tents, flimsy frail houses that are decaying.  The Bible says, "Now we know that when 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 Cor. 5:1)

          While life offers many choices, eternity offers only two:  heaven or hell.  Our relationship to God on earth will determine our relationship to Him in eternity.  If you and I trust Jesus Christ, we will spend eternity with Him.  But if we trust in ourselves and reject His forgiveness, we will spend eternity apart from God.

          C.S. Lewis once said, "There are two kinds of people:  those who say to God, 'Thy Will be done,' or those to whom God says, 'All right then, have it your way'."  I pray none of us will be in that last group, that none of us will have to endure eternity without God.  One of my purposes in life is to make sure as many of those who hear me as possible are in the first group.  Trust in the Lord, because He's the only way.

          When you and I fully realize our life is preparation for eternity, we will begin to live differently.  When we start living in the light of eternity, it will affect everything we do.  Our relationships, our tasks, how we handle our problems, will all be different.  Money and possessions will no longer be as important.  The closer we live to God, the more unimportant our trivial problems will be.

          When we live in the light of eternity, our values change.  We use our time and talents more wisely.  We value our relationships more and de-value fame and fortune.  Fashion and popularity don't matter as much, because our priorities are re-ordered.  St. Paul said, "Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." (Phil 3:7)   If this time on earth was all we had, we might as well start living it up!  Forget about ethics, forget about morals, don't worry about being good, have more fun!  Indulge yourself, be cranky and self-centered, because nothing really matters!

          But - and this makes all the difference - our death is not the end of us!  It's our transition into eternity.  The most damaging aspect of living only in the present is short-term thinking.  God has a purpose for us, so we must remember eternity.  Keep looking at Jesus, and know He is the way to the Father.

          David Smallbone felt God leading him to promote Christian concerts in his homeland, Australia, where only 5 percent of the people believed in Christ.  When too few fans filled his seats during one major tour, however, David lost $250,000 of his personal funds.  Creditors repossessed his home, and this father of six had to look for work elsewhere.  A top artist offered him a job in Nashville, so the Smallbones sold their furniture and purchased tickets to the United States.

          A few weeks after they arrived, however, David was informed that his position was "no longer available."  The news hit him so hard, he could not get out of bed for days.  When he and his wife explained to their children what happened, they all got on their knees and prayed to God for help.

          Then interesting things began to happen.  Bags of groceries came from neighbors, and odd jobs came, even a used car.  A few months later came the biggest surprise -- a recording contract for his oldest daughter, Rebecca, age 15.  She recorded her first album using an old family name.  Flash forward to today.  David promotes his daughter's sold-out concerts.  Rebecca St. James has become one of the hottest Christian artists in America.  Christianity Today magazine named her one of the top 50 up-and-coming young evangelical leaders.  His purpose in life was now clear!

          We need to try seeing life from God's point of view.  Some people see their life as a circus, or a roller coaster, or a puzzle or a minefield.  They say, "Life is a carousel - sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down, sometimes you just go round and round."  Forrest Gump said, "Life is a like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get."

          If you base your life on a mistaken picture of what life is all about, you'll never understand God's purpose for you.  The Bible speaks of life as a test with many trials and temptations that refine us and make us strong.  It also speaks of life as a trust in which we are caretakers of all that God has given us.  Our life is a loan from God.  It's a temporary assignment.  We're here just a little while, and so we say with the Psalmist, "Show me, O LORD, the number of my days;  let me know how fleeting is my life." (Psalm 39:4)

          To find our purpose in life we must first remember that we were made to last forever.  In our busy society, people are often moved by their jobs to other parts of the world.  One of our members is currently considering a position helping organize police departments in Iraq.  One of my High School classmates is President of Esso Oil company of Chad, on the continent of Africa.  Others tell of trips to Indonesia.  Those working in other lands are required to carry a visitor registration card, a "green card" which allows them to work there even though they're not citizens.  Maybe all us Christians should have a spiritual green card to remind us of our true citizenship in heaven.  Maybe our Bible is our "green card."  Like St. Paul says, "Our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil. 3:20)

          Yes, "God has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has set eternity into the hearts of men."  Life is a temporary assignment.  We were made for eternity.  May God give us all faith to trust Jesus Christ for everything, especially for the life that is to come.  Amen.

(I am grateful to Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, for many of the thoughts in this message.)

Copyright © 2003 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.