The world's philosophy, as often presented, is "live for the day." In other words, go for whatever is in front of you--- that's what's most important. It may be school work, friends, your reputation, the clothes you wear, your career, your weekend, whatever. Live for the day.
In light of Paul's admonition to the Corinthians, "Walk by faith and not by sight" (2 Cor 5:7), that simply is unacceptable for the Christian. Consequently, some fall into a second pitfall of the world's thinking: "live for tomorrow." In other words, what is ahead of you is most important. It may be college, a promotion, bigger house, better things, more stuff, future dreams, or retirement. You have to live with the future in mind.
This is also unacceptable for the Christian, because it still limits our focus to the temporal and the material. As Jesus warned his disciples, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).
Therefore, the correct outlook must be "live for eternity!" For my own thinking, I have developed this philosophy along four lines.
- People are more important than things. Again, Jesus' warning speaks to this: life is more than what you can see, feel, and touch (Luke 12:15).
- Pleasing God is more important than pleasing self (or anybody else). The most important goal we can have in life is to please God. That is what is really important. "And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17).
- Serving others is more important than serving self. Again, Jesus is the example. His goal in life was not to be served, but to serve others (Mark 10:45), and he commanded his followers to do the same.
- Attendance and service in the local church should be a priority. The church should come before job commitments, school, and even extended family. Conflicts are inevitable, but if one decides beforehand what is most important, the situation is often alleviated. For example, I never experienced any conflicts between church and school because I had already solidified my commitment to my church. I worked ahead or worked around church services and special events.
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