do you know?
photo credit: Mario Purisic @mariopurisic
Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showin' you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?
(Do you know-Theme from "Mahogany")
How we live on earth today, determines where we live after we leave this earth.
If you do not currently pray for our country, the world, and especially the “influencers” of our day, I would like to personally put in a plea for you to start. We all need it, but especially our children and grandchildren. They need prayers for their future and the future of our world.
Earlier this week, as I was scrolling through social media, I scrolled past some video clips of The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards held on September 12, 2021, and my heart just sank. I was deeply saddened at so much of what I was seeing and hearing.
Many of the “performances” being praised and rewarded as “normal” were outrageously provocative, not in a creatively pushing the envelope sort of way. The praises for award recipients was more for their ability to shock the crowd, rather than true performance and talent.
It saddens me because I wonder, is this a testament to just how numb society has become that it takes soft pornography, and things that used to be shocking, to even get our attention?
It saddens me to know these are the things that are influencing society, especially the younger generations, and it saddens me to see that this type of content impacts their minds and their self-image.
My heart honestly aches for the obvious desperation and grasping for approval, the effort put into trying to be the most outrageous performer, and the desire to be the one who shocks the crowd the most.
As I scroll through one “performance” after the other, I keep thinking, don’t these people know how temporary this life is? Do they even care or think about what they are doing, or the negative impact their behavior has on young women and men?
How can they not see that what they portray in their videos and performances objectifies men, and especially women? Do they ever even think beyond the moment and wonder, do I know where I’m going?
What’s after this life? How does the image I portray affect the next generation?
We live in a world that pushes the belief that we should never care what anyone else thinks. Do what you want and if people don’t like it, that is on them. We are continually told, it’s not our job to please others, “you be you,” and this is true to an extent, but taken at face value, it’s also a lie from the enemy.
photo credit: Dollar Gill @dollargill
God is very clear in His word, that it is not our responsibility to please others, nor are we responsible for another’s happiness, BUT He is also very clear that our example, both words and deeds, especially IF we profess to be His followers, most definitely matter.
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
“Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.” (Romans 13:13)
How we live does matter and we have to ask ourselves, do I know?
Do I know how my life impacts those I encounter?
Do I know where I am going in the current world I live in, and more importantly, do I know where I am going when this life is over?
In all reality, the two coincide and one actually leads to the other.
Am I seeking and following the things of this earth, or things that edify my soul, things that impact eternity for myself, and those I influence, or the things that lead to death, maybe not earthly death, but spiritual death?
Am I grasping for what this world, this ever evolving impossible to please world, tells me I should be seeking to find and hold on to?
Do you know where you’re going to? Do you even care what’s next or are you just living for today?
My friends, there is a heaven and a hell, and most people do not want to talk about it.
In fact, many will quit reading this right now because it doesn’t make them “feel good” or isn’t “light enough” to think about. It’s not a fluffy, feel good, make me think I am great just as I am, blog post.
I get it. As I sit here and think about these things and write about this I am continually asking God, why such a heavy message? Why is this the topic you have put on my heart all week to write about?
I want to be a fun writer, a light and fluffy writer, but this is the message I feel lead to share, so I am trying to be obedient.
Maybe, that is exactly why it is the message I am being challenged to articulate, because we are a rebellious lot and our nature is to want to think about the easy, and just stay on the surface. It’s easier to just fill our minds with all those things that keep us too busy to be quiet, to just be still than to ask ourselves and ponder the really hard, not so fun questions.
photo credit: engin akyurt @enginakyurt
Where am I going in this life and the next?
Do I live like I know where I am going?
How would people describe my daily walk? Would they say it’s worldly focused? Do they see it as a walk of faith?
Do I like what living in this world looks and feels like so much that I seek it over all else?
Does how I’m living truly fulfill me?
Is there something more?
What if I live for Jesus and there is no heaven? Did I miss out?
What if I live for tomorrow, like there is no heaven, but then there is?
I promise you, this life you are living will one day come to an end, and all the feel good, fluffy, let’s all have a love fest stuff out there, won’t impact your eternity for your good. It’s all temporary and lacks substance.
The stuff that matters is found in the hard statements and questions that challenge us to think outside ourselves, those things that make us uncomfortable, that make us ask ourselves, do I know where I’m going in my next life?
The question that always takes me to my knees for some of God’s grace, is, “How is the way I am living my life impacting the lives of those around me, not just in the day-to-day, but for eternity as well.”
I will be held accountable for that too.
My friends, there is a heaven and a hell whether you talk about it or not.
Former evangelist, Billy Graham wrote, “…many people never think of eternity. As a Christian and a preacher of the Gospel, I am always grieved to have to interrupt a marvelous picture, such as eternal life in Heaven, to talk about another eternal place that Jesus calls Hell.
It has no similarities to what is typically called home, nor is Hell a resting place, a holding place, or a graveyard.
Hell is a burning inferno.
More than the description, I want to point out the greatest darkness of Hell—it is a place where Jesus is not. Jesus said, “I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going” (John 8:21, NLT).
This is the great anguishing nightmare—to be eternally separated from the Son of God. It is unimaginable. For this reason alone, to be in Hell is the most terrible of all judgments.
There are some people who actually believe that if they end up in Hell, they’ll get used to it. After all, they say, the devil has provided a great deal of pleasure for them while on earth, so how bad can it be?
Let me tell you; the devil is not in charge of Hell, nor is it his headquarters. Satan is the “prince of this world” (John 16:11, KJV) and has taken up residence in many hearts.
But He knows what the end is for him. He made his choice long ago and wants to take a world of people with him to Hell, where he will serve out his eternal sentence.
The Bible says that the everlasting fire was created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Jesus said, “I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Revelation 1:18).
The devil does not own Hell. It is not his home—it is his judgment.”
photo credit: Ybrayym Esenov @ibrhyme
Those last words from Billy Graham’s above quote, send shivers down my spine to think about, “The devil does not own Hell. It is not his home—it is his judgment.”
There is a MIGHTY BATTLE going on for our minds and our hearts. Our enemy, Satan will hit us every which way to try and drag us down. He will pick those scabs on our wounds, he will use people we deeply love, because he relentlessly desires to pursue us and drag us down to his depth of depravity.
Satan wants all of us to share in his judgement.
The song, ‘Do you know, ‘Theme from Mahogany ‘, immediately came to my mind while I was watching some of the videos that won the top awards on the VMA’s this year. I literally started softly singing, tears streaming, as I watched people so desperate for attention and approval…
Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?
Do you get what you're hopin' for
When you look behind you, there's no open doors
What are you hoping for?
Do you know?
My heart was so heavy for the messages they were sending to our youth.
The aforementioned song is about evaluating life's journey, asking if how you are living, and what lies ahead is what you really want. While it wasn’t written with a spiritual perspective, it obviously can apply to that.
We all have a deep desire to make a difference in this life, to leave something good behind when we leave this earth. We desire to live a life of purpose and meaning, but in order to do this, we have to ask ourselves the hard questions, and we have to think about our example, and consider life after this life.
Friends, your life has value.
Your life has purpose, and we all influence others every single day.
No matter what you’ve been told by someone in your life or by culture or by the lies Satan puts in your head, you are infinitely precious to God. He thought of you, he made you to love you, and he cares about every detail of your life.
You are valuable, no matter who you are or where you’re from. And the same is true for every person, from the moment they are born. We’re all differently abled and gifted, but God looks at us the same: with love.
photo credit: Zach Lucero @zlucerophoto
Rick Warren, Christian Pastor, and author tells us…
“The way God shaped you reveals how he wants to use you.
How do you discover the unique way God made you?
I [Warren] like to use the acrostic SHAPE—your Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences.
These are the five things that make you, you. And, by looking at each of these areas, you’ll begin to understand what God wants you to do with your life.
Spiritual gifts are God-empowered abilities for serving him that are given only to believers. For instance, some gifts motivate you for ministry—like serving, teaching, encouraging, leading, giving, showing mercy, or offering biblical insight.
Heart refers to the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections you have. It’s what you love to do and what you care about most.
Abilities are the natural talents you were born with. God wants you to do what you’re able to do.
Personality affects how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. You’ll use your gifts in different ways from anybody else.
Experiences teach you lessons that help you mature. They also help you minister to others going through similar experiences.”
~Rick Warren
My friends, when God made you, he broke the mold—there is no one else like you.
Your face may not grace the cover of magazines, and you might not have an audience of more than a handful of people, but you have the power to influence others through your life.
In fact, know it or not, you do influence others.
When you know where you’re going to, you don’t have to worry about jumping through hoops or shocking others to be known because you are already known by the one who created you and He delights in you already.
You were made for so much more than pleasing others. You are here, in this moment of time for a specific purpose. Have confidence in who God made you to be and live to change the world for the better by your influence.
Pray for your walk and your talk to show evidence and confidence of where you are going.
How we live on earth today, truly determines where we live after we leave this earth.
Do you know where you’re going to?
Jesus said in essence, “You can be where I am, or you can be where I am not.” I pray you settle life’s most important question: Where will you spend eternity?
photo credit: Henrique Jacob @hjacob
Something to Consider: Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like what life has shown you through the fruits of your labor? Are you being responsible with your sphere of influence?
