Gazers

My church recently finished a sermon series dealing with the end times and it has been fascinating to study about what will happen in the days leading up to Jesus' return. With these thoughts fresh on my mind, this verse in 2 Peter 3 caught my eye a few mornings ago.

"¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.^a]">

¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.^b]"> That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

¹⁴So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

It is mind boggling to think of the earth's future destruction and life as we know it coming to an end. What will that look like? When will it happen? The absurdity alone of the world ending along with the vast array of questions associated with it can make even the bravest of people shiver with fear. It shouldn't be that way for the believer. Instead of becoming consumed and afraid of the end, we should think upon it often and allow the reminder that he is returning to change how we live our life today.

In this light, verse 11 asks a great question, "Since everything will be destroyed, what kind of people ought you to be?" In other words, since your house and your bank account will vanish one day, what kind of person ought you to be? Since your accomplishments at work or in athletics won't be remembered forever, what kind of person ought you to be. Since that twelve point buck or the bass on the wall will one day disappear, what kind of person ought you to be? I think you get the point. This really puts things in perspective doesn't it?

There are three types of people in life, each set apart by their focus and the direction that their life is heading. It almost goes without saying that an object will always head in the direction it is facing. I have never seen a sprinter win a race running backwards and people usually don't back up a car by looking straight forward. In these days leading up to the Lord's eventual return and as you consider the direction of your life, think about your focus. You spiritual gaze is either set on the Lord, on the world, or you are stuck in a state of stigmatism somewhere between the two. What kind of gazer are you?

God Gazers
Lets start off by saying that few of us have our eyes fixed on the Lord like we should. There are some, but not many that do. If this is you, my guess would be that you are enjoying growth and blessing, even amidst hardships, and have experienced the overall abundant life that God intends for us all.

World Gazers
Others have their gaze fixed on the world and on doing whatever their heart desires. To that person I say, that when the world gets old as it inevitably will (because nothing in it can satisfy forever), I hope you turn to the Lord. Taste and see how good he is.

Fake Gazers
The rest of us are simply fakers and foolish. You are a fake gazer if you claim to have your eyes fixed on God but continue to chase the world. This type of person is deceived and a liar. If the Lord does in fact return and the Bible is real, then you, like the world gazer, will spend eternity wishing you had be less foolish in the way you lived.

Most fake gazers don't even realize that they're fakes. That's because, in their heart of hearts they are convinced they can gaze upon both the Lord and the world. This person in merely a fence sitter, refusing to pick a side so they can enjoy the benefit of a spiritual experience without the commitment of following Christ. If this is you, you are living life in a "friends with benefits" situation that is taking advantage of the God of the universe. That's no good! It is foolish to think that one can live this way because there time when the world's way and God's way do not agree. In these times you are forced to make a decision where you will have to ignore one side in order to please the other. No man is able to properly serve two masters. Listen to what the Lord has to say to the foolish and fake gazer:

^"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

-Revelation 3:15-16

In light of the destruction of the material world one day and the coming of the Lord, you and I need to think where are gaze is directed. Are we looking in the face of the Lord like we should be or are we wasting time satisfying by placing out focus in other places? Most are probably riding the fence, being pulled in opposing directions that leave you stranded and unable to do anything of substance at all. We need to stop living with one foot in the world and one foot in our faith so they we can put our whole selves in to something that really matters. I hope your life will be lived in a way that makes an impact for eternity.

Chuck Colson, former special council to president Nixon, was one of the most influential men in America during the 1960s and experienced life as every type of gazer. He became a believer during the months leading up to his indictment and imprisonment for involvement in the Watergate scandal. Here is some food for thought from his biography about the difference between being a world gazer and a God gazer.

"Late one afternoon, shortly after Christmas, I came upon a letter that was going to continue to affect my own goals for months and years to come. It was scrawled on a single sheet of white lined paper:

Dear Sir:

This may seem to you as an unusual letter, however after reading an article in the Charleston Evening post on you I gathered that you were (in the past) an unusual person. I'm a Sergeant in the USAF. For 19 years I've been trying to find myself. I've went to church on several occasions but they (the pastors) didn't reach me. After reading your article it has helped me more than anything in my entire life. It is Christmas Morning. I'm usually drunk on trying to get drunk by now, but I am here watching the children open up there presents and thinking about going to church somewhere, instead of the club or someone's house and get drunk. I didn't even buy "booze" this year. It's people in positions like you who confess their past (maybe not so good life - wrongs) or whatever it may be called. Sure do help people in a position like me. I truly feel free within my inner self and I pray that God may help help both of us in all of our trying efforts. I am going to try and find that book Mere Christianity down here and read it myself.

God bless,
Sergeant Green

I didn't care who saw me in my office as tears streamed down my cheeks while I read and reread Sergeant Green's letter. He said it all. For eleven years of my like I'd driven with every once of energy in my body to do the things in government that I believed might make people's lives better. But in all that time, I could not point to one single person, not one life, that had actually changed for the better."

-From Born Again, page 187-188

If your gaze is not where it should be, then don't delay in redirecting it. Like Mr. Colson, I hope you choose on a daily basis to gaze into the face of God and pursue what really matters in the end. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3 and Isaiah 6 that when we turn our gaze to him we are forever changed. Become of God gazer and live a life that impacts for eternity.