LIFE IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT

How long will the next 70 years be compared to eternity?
"To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is only a temporary residence. You won’t be here long, so don’t get too attached. Ask God to help you see life on earth as he sees it." David prayed, "Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more." Psalm 39:4
"I am here on earth for just a little while." Psalm 119:19

Scripture compares living on this earth to that of living in a foreign county.
We find words in Scripture like alien, pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor and
traveler. Have you ever traveled outside of your country?
What was it like?
What were your thoughts and first impressions?
What challenges or difficulties did you face?
Did you experience a language barrier?
Were you able to overcome it?
How did it feel to step foot back on US soil again after being gone?
“All they think about is this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven,
where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.” Philippians 3:19-20 “Your identity is in eternity, and your homeland is heaven. When you grasp this truth, you will stop worrying about “having it all” on earth. God is very blunt about the danger of living for the here and now and adopting the values, priorities, and lifestyles of the world around us. When we flirt with the temptations of this world, God calls it spiritual adultery.” The Bible says, “You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way.” James 4:4 “We are Christ’s ambassadors.” 2 Corinthians 5:20
What does it mean to be an ambassador?
What are the responsibilities of an ambassador?
“Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.
Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. 1 Peter 2:11 “Those in frequent contact with the things of the world should make good use of them without becoming attached to them, for this world and all it contains will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 7:31

What do you think will be the hardest thing to give up when you leave this earth?
How are you preparing now to deal with this issue?
“Compared with other centuries, life has never been easier for much of the world. We are constantly entertained, amused, and catered to. With all the fascinating attractions, mesmerizing media, and enjoyable experiences available today, it’s easy to forget that the pursuit of happiness is not what life is about. Only as we remember that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment will the appeal of these things lose their grip on our lives. We are preparing for something even better.” “The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18b

How do you experience the tension of living in this life and living for the next?
Do all the conveniences of the world make it easier or harder to view life as a temporary assignment?
Give some examples of how you experience this in your life.
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is
seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
“It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it.
The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness
to God does not guarantee success in a career or even in ministry.”
Given that fact that life on this earth is only a temporary assignment, what attitudes and areas of your life need to change?

Point to Ponder: This world is not my home.
Verse to Remember: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on
what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is
eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Question to Consider: How should the fact that life on earth is just a
temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?

Seeing Life from God's View

“The way you see your life shapes your life. How you define life determines your destiny. Your perspective will influence how you invest your time, spend your money, use your talents, and value your relationships.” So how do you view life? What image or metaphor would you use? People have described life in a variety of ways. Some see it as a circus, others as a minefield, a roller coaster, a puzzle, a symphony, a journey and a dance. People say “Life is a carousel: Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down, and sometimes you just go round and round” or “life is a ten-speed bicycle with gears we never use” or “life is a game of cards: You have to play the hand you are dealt.” When you think of your life, what picture comes to mind? Which do you identify with? “That image (what ever it is) is your life metaphor. It’s the view of life you hold, consciously or unconsciously, in your mind. Its your description of how life works and what you expect from it.” People use a variety of ways to express their view of life - from the car they drive to the clothes they wear to their hairstyles, tattoos or even bumper stickers. Our presuppositions about life influence us more than we probably realise. They will often shape our expectations, form our values, shape our priorities, form our relationships and set our goals. For example, “if you see life as a party, your primary value in life will be having fun.
If you see life as a race, you will value speed and will probably be in a hurry much of the time. If you view life as a marathon, you will value endurance. If you see life as a battle or game, winning will be very important to you.” What is your view of life? Are you basing your life on a faulty metaphor? What is your purpose in life? What is your motivation? The first and most important purpose for your life is to know God and love God - because you were planned for his pleasure.

1. Life is a Trust
“This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.” (1 Corinthians 4:1) “We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. God just loans the earth to us while we’re here. It was God’s property before you arrived and God will loan it to someone else after you die. You just get to enjoy it for a while as trustees.” We are trustees of God’s property. As Paul goes on to say in verse 7, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Jesus often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate God’s kingdom rule, Jesus said, "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. (Matthew 25:14-15)
In the Parable of the Talents, when the master returns, he evaluates each servant’s faithfulness and rewards them accordingly. The owner says, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:21).
“At the end of your life on earth we will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well you have handled what God has entrusted to you.” This means everything we do, even the little things like daily chores, can have eternal consequences. So, life is a trust.

2. Life is a Test
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2)

“Character is both developed and revealed by tests.” Indeed, “all life is a test. You are always being tested. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment,”. “Most people fail to realise that money is both a trust and a test from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust him and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are. Jesus says, “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” “The good news is that God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them.” “no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation's power so that you can bear up patiently against it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

3. Life is a Temporary Assignment
“It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of people’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:4-5)

David prays, “Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more.” (Psalm 39:4). Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18). If we treat everything we have in life as a trust; if we view everything that happens in life as a test; if we recognise all we value in this life as a temporary assignment - God promises three rewards in eternity.

1. Affirmation: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
2. Promotion: “I will put you in charge of many things”
3. Celebration : “Come and share your Master’s happiness

That is why James writes confidently “Blessed are those who persevere under trial, because when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

Made To Last Forever

The earth is just “the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity.” Humans were created to live forever, and regardless of who I am or what I believe, I will live forever. My time on earth is only the tiniest part of my life.
2 Corinthians 5:1 which describes how my earthly body is but a “tent” compared to my future body which is a “house.” The point is clear. One is solid and enduring. The other is only temporary. Life on earth offers many choices, but eternity offers only two: heaven or hell. The relationship I have with God in this life will determine whether I spend eternity with Him or seperated from Him.
A knowledge of eternity is important as it will make me live in the light of eternity and determine how I handle every aspect of my life. So many things that are important in the 80 or 90 years I have here on earth fade to nothing in the light of eternity. Every action I take and every choice I make has eternal consequences! What a vast and intimidating thought! Why hoard wealth if I can have it only for my life here on earth? The very second I die it will no longer be mine. Building on this, Warren shows how God’s purpose for me does not end with life on earth. God’s purposes for me are eternal.
Question To Consider
Today’s question to consider is “Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?” That really is a significant question. There are so many things that seem utterly insignificant in the light of eternity, yet consume my life. It is so easy to say that I should not be overly concerned with money while on this earth, and honestly I don’t think my life is consumed with materialism, yet I do spend the bulk of my week working just to scrape together enough money to support myself and my family. Is that wrong? I certainly don’t think it is. I supose there needs to be a balance where I work to provide for my family, yet do not work so much that I become consumed by it. Or perhaps the difference is in motives. Is there a difference between working with the motive of providing for my family and providing for minstries I support versus working because I believe money provides security? I guess there must be.
In the end I just find that it seems so strange that so much significance is placed on something so fleeting. Life on earth represents only the tiniest fraction of life eternal, yet the rest of eternity depends on it. The choice to serve God in this lifetime is the most important decision I have made since my place in eternity depends on it.