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I watched You, Me and the Apocalypse
last night on NBC. The show is based on the premise that an
eight-mile-wide comet will annihilate the world in thirty-four days. The
greater fiction is not that a planet-destroying comet is coming, but
that we have another thirty-four days to live.
The fact is, tomorrow is promised to no one.
Yesterday we observed the thirtieth anniversary of the Challenger
disaster. The tragedy still reminds us that life is fragile. President
Reagan concluded his tribute to the fallen astronauts: "We will never
forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they
prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly
bonds of earth to touch the face of God.'"
Recognizing our mortality leads us to focus on immortality.
We know that we will stand before God one day (2 Corinthians 5:10). But
it's easy to think about that fact later. We're busy people facing
challenging times. Why is our accountability in heaven relevant to us on
earth?
Because the God of heaven is also the God of earth. He is both
omnipresent and omniscient. He is where you are right now, a fact Jacob
learned at Bethel: "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know
it" (Genesis 28:16).
He is reading your thoughts this moment: "O Lord, you have searched me
and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern
my thoughts from afar. . . . Even before a word is on my tongue, behold,
O Lord, you know it altogether" (Psalm 139:1–2, 4).
Think of the person whose opinion means the most to you. Imagine going
through your day with that person at your side, hearing everything you
say and watching everything you do. Imagine that this person has been
granted omniscience and can read your thoughts. How will your day be
different?
An essential leadership principle is that people do not do what you
expect—they do what you inspect. God knows that this is so. That's why
his word so clearly teaches that he is present in all we think, say, and
do.
Now add this fact: The Lord who inspects us also empowers us. If you'll
ask God's Spirit to guide and strengthen you for God's purposes
(Ephesians 5:18), he will answer your prayer.
So stay conscious of God's presence today, and you will impact your
culture and glorify your Father. Your mortal life will produce immortal
good.
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