Posted by Michael

Most of this year’s graduation ceremonies have ended. Many high school students are readying themselves for college, and many college students are looking to begin careers. For those next in line to graduate the familiar questions are surfacing again, none of them more important than, “What should I spend my life doing?” This question is important for all of us to return to periodically. Statistics are released every year about what sort of jobs are available and which industries seem primed to hire for years to come. Many students train for health related careers with the thinking being that there will always be sick people. Lawyers and policemen know there will always be crime. Our endless craving for more advanced computers and phones seem to bode well for those entering the tech field.

A first century church planter named Paul seemed to be thinking along the same lines when he wrote a letter to a church he had started in the city of Corinth. He told the timid Jesus followers that there were ways to spend their lives that had incredible upside. The instruction came as a response to the arguments the Corinthian people were having about which tasks or talents were most important, and about what they should be doing with their lives.

“Aren’t teachers the most important?”

“How about the prophets, they seem pretty intense?”

 I’m not sure what the people with the gift of tongues are saying, but they seem really passionate…”

Paul settled the debate by saying that only one activity would still be necessary in heaven. There is only one thing that we could be doing now, that we will definately be doing for the rest of eternity. It’s not teaching, because in heaven, we will know everything we need to know. It’s not prophecy, there’s nothing to predict in heaven. We won’t be caring for the poor in heaven, because everyone will already have all they need. The one thing that will be consuming our time in heaven is loving people and loving God. Learning to  love people honestly, humbly, and passionately is the one skill that will never be out of date. Loving people, like omelet making, takes lots of practice and a good deal of creativity, but with patience we can get better as we go along, and our world will be better off for it.