The Present and Future Disciple, Part 1 – Inextricably Linked

When Jesus said, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” and “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:20, 33, NASB), He identified the connection between what you are and do in this present life to what you will be and will do in eternal life.

In other words, your life in this present age is inextricably linked to your future life, your eternal life.

By “inextricably” I mean that the connection between your present and future is so intricately entangled as to make it impossible to escape from it.

You can’t undo the association between your present and future, but you can ignore it!

You can’t break the connection between this life and eternal life, but you can disregard it!

So, if our present life is so intertwined with our future life, it’s important…no, it’s imperative, that we live our lives in the present according to the way things will be in the future, in eternity.

Because what you are becoming in this present life is what you will surely be in eternity!

So, following Jesus and being His disciple must be an intentional, purposeful, planned, and calculated response to becoming the person God intends for you to be.

It’s deliberate! And it’s forever!

It’s a conscious choice you get to make in this life about what you are going to be in eternal life.

Your life now is preparing you for eternal life. And, the way you prepare for eternal life is to be Jesus’s disciple now so will become like Him in the future!

“Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33, NASB).