“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
— Joshua 24:14-15That generation chose to serve the Lord. But the generations after them didn’t.
In view of everything God has done—the promise of an eternal home, a resurrected body, a judgment seat where we will be rewarded—how will you live?
Will You Put Your Faith in Christ?
If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you can. The Bible tells us exactly how:
“Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
— Romans 10:9-10Today could be that day. Don’t wait. You don’t know how long you have in this life. Don’t spend it chasing the wind.
If you’ve already put your faith in Christ, then the question isn’t whether you’re going to be tested—it’s how you’ll live in light of the test that’s coming. Will you build with gold, silver, and precious stones? Or will you waste your life on wood, hay, and straw?
Choose this day whom you will serve.
Scripture References
- Ecclesiastes 12 — The certainty of physical death and decay
- 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 — Our heavenly dwelling and the judgment seat of Christ
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 — Building with gold, silver, precious stones vs. wood, hay, straw
- Joshua 24:14-15 — “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
- Romans 10:9-10 — How to be saved through faith in Christ
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 — “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord”
“The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:14-15This is the point of life. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, you live now for Him. That is what is meaningful. Everything else is chasing the wind.
So how should we live? Paul gives us the answer in verse 10: we make it our aim to please Him. Everything else—every pursuit that isn’t oriented toward Christ—is temporary.
Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve
Paul wasn’t the first to call God’s people to this decision. In Joshua 24, Joshua stood before the Israelites and gave them this ultimatum:
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
— Joshua 24:14-15That generation chose to serve the Lord. But the generations after them didn’t.
In view of everything God has done—the promise of an eternal home, a resurrected body, a judgment seat where we will be rewarded—how will you live?
Will You Put Your Faith in Christ?
If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you can. The Bible tells us exactly how:
“Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
— Romans 10:9-10Today could be that day. Don’t wait. You don’t know how long you have in this life. Don’t spend it chasing the wind.
If you’ve already put your faith in Christ, then the question isn’t whether you’re going to be tested—it’s how you’ll live in light of the test that’s coming. Will you build with gold, silver, and precious stones? Or will you waste your life on wood, hay, and straw?
Choose this day whom you will serve.
Scripture References
- Ecclesiastes 12 — The certainty of physical death and decay
- 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 — Our heavenly dwelling and the judgment seat of Christ
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 — Building with gold, silver, precious stones vs. wood, hay, straw
- Joshua 24:14-15 — “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
- Romans 10:9-10 — How to be saved through faith in Christ
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 — “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord”
“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest for the day of judgment, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:12-15Some people’s works will burn up. Others will receive a reward. The difference? Whether we spent our lives chasing meaninglessness or building with eternal purpose.
Two Ways to Live
Paul summarizes his whole argument in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15:
“The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:14-15This is the point of life. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, you live now for Him. That is what is meaningful. Everything else is chasing the wind.
So how should we live? Paul gives us the answer in verse 10: we make it our aim to please Him. Everything else—every pursuit that isn’t oriented toward Christ—is temporary.
Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve
Paul wasn’t the first to call God’s people to this decision. In Joshua 24, Joshua stood before the Israelites and gave them this ultimatum:
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
— Joshua 24:14-15That generation chose to serve the Lord. But the generations after them didn’t.
In view of everything God has done—the promise of an eternal home, a resurrected body, a judgment seat where we will be rewarded—how will you live?
Will You Put Your Faith in Christ?
If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you can. The Bible tells us exactly how:
“Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
— Romans 10:9-10Today could be that day. Don’t wait. You don’t know how long you have in this life. Don’t spend it chasing the wind.
If you’ve already put your faith in Christ, then the question isn’t whether you’re going to be tested—it’s how you’ll live in light of the test that’s coming. Will you build with gold, silver, and precious stones? Or will you waste your life on wood, hay, and straw?
Choose this day whom you will serve.
Scripture References
- Ecclesiastes 12 — The certainty of physical death and decay
- 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 — Our heavenly dwelling and the judgment seat of Christ
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 — Building with gold, silver, precious stones vs. wood, hay, straw
- Joshua 24:14-15 — “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
- Romans 10:9-10 — How to be saved through faith in Christ
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 — “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord”
Solomon ends Ecclesiastes with a sobering picture: our bodies slow down, decay, and eventually fail. It’s not a cheerful thought—but it’s honest. And Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5, gives the believer a much more optimistic framing of the same reality. The question is: how will you live with the end in mind?
The Test Is Coming
The book of Ecclesiastes chapter 12 reads like a doctor’s report on aging. Our bodies fall apart—eyes dim, legs tremble, teeth falter. Solomon doesn’t sugarcoat it. This is the trajectory of every human life. We are living in tents that are slowly collapsing.
But while Solomon sees this as “meaningless”—chasing the wind—Paul gives us a different perspective in 2 Corinthians 5. Yes, our bodies are temporary. Yes, this life will end. But for the believer, that’s actually good news.
Paul writes: “We are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage. And we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
If you’re a believer, it’s okay if this life ends—because that’s what we long for.
The Judgment Seat of Christ
Here’s where it gets practical. Paul tells us that all believers “must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
Notice: this is not a judgment for our sins—Jesus took that punishment on the cross. This is a judgment of our works. And the stakes are real:
“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest for the day of judgment, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:12-15Some people’s works will burn up. Others will receive a reward. The difference? Whether we spent our lives chasing meaninglessness or building with eternal purpose.
Two Ways to Live
Paul summarizes his whole argument in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15:
“The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:14-15This is the point of life. If you’ve put your faith in Jesus Christ, you live now for Him. That is what is meaningful. Everything else is chasing the wind.
So how should we live? Paul gives us the answer in verse 10: we make it our aim to please Him. Everything else—every pursuit that isn’t oriented toward Christ—is temporary.
Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve
Paul wasn’t the first to call God’s people to this decision. In Joshua 24, Joshua stood before the Israelites and gave them this ultimatum:
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him with sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
— Joshua 24:14-15That generation chose to serve the Lord. But the generations after them didn’t.
In view of everything God has done—the promise of an eternal home, a resurrected body, a judgment seat where we will be rewarded—how will you live?
Will You Put Your Faith in Christ?
If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you can. The Bible tells us exactly how:
“Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
— Romans 10:9-10Today could be that day. Don’t wait. You don’t know how long you have in this life. Don’t spend it chasing the wind.
If you’ve already put your faith in Christ, then the question isn’t whether you’re going to be tested—it’s how you’ll live in light of the test that’s coming. Will you build with gold, silver, and precious stones? Or will you waste your life on wood, hay, and straw?
Choose this day whom you will serve.
Scripture References
- Ecclesiastes 12 — The certainty of physical death and decay
- 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 — Our heavenly dwelling and the judgment seat of Christ
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 — Building with gold, silver, precious stones vs. wood, hay, straw
- Joshua 24:14-15 — “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
- Romans 10:9-10 — How to be saved through faith in Christ
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 — “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord”