Our time on earth is temporary, so we should use it to make disciples.   ~~~   Welcome to another episode of Storybook Homes. Today, I’m standing in a vacant commercial rental space that in a few short months will be home to a local media marketing firm. Right now, it is just an empty shell, but I have been tasked with the job to design a space that will accommodate more than 50 workstations with room to add additional desks as the company grows. This empty space represents a couple of things to me. First, it represents potential. It’s essentially a blank slate just waiting to be transformed into the ideal space for my client. If there had been a bunch of walls already erected in this space, my client might have had a hard time figuring out how their company could work within the given parameters. But since it’s wide open, there are no barriers to work around, they can utilize the space however best suits their needs. It’s also a reminder that this space is temporary. The conditions of the lease state that any walls erected have to be temporary, so that if the next tenant does not want the walls they can be easily removed and returned to the empty shell. This works well for my client because they have plans to build their dream office in a few short years and they view this space as just a stepping stone to their permanent home. Knowing they don’t plan to be in this space long, they have requested the majority of the budget and design to be focused on things they can take with them to their permanent space. This not only includes furniture and decor, but they have also opted for moveable room dividers to separate office spaces instead of walls. I’ve not done anything quite like this before so, I’m looking forward to the creative challenge. This empty space reminds me of another empty space that we read about in the bible. The empty tomb. The place where Jesus was laid to rest after his death on the cross is not special because it was an empty burial spot. It’s special because of what that empty tomb represents. It represents the ability we now have for our sins to be removed and to live with Christ in heaven, forever. If Jesus still occupied that tomb, we would still be relying on the law to temporarily atone for past sins with no real hope of ever living up to the standard God requires. But, because Jesus is no longer in that tomb, it proves that he once and for all conquered death and sin. If we believe in him and trust him to remove our sins, we too can live blameless with the Father in heaven. That empty tomb is also a reminder that our time on earth is temporary. Jesus came to earth, died, and left the tomb empty so that we could live permanently with him in Heaven, not on earth. In Hebrews 13:14 we read: “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” Jesus encouraged his followers to look beyond the temporary toward the permanent. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached: “Don’t store up treasures on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break in and steal.” While this marketing firm knows they will only occupy this space for a short time, that doesn’t mean they put their work on hold until they can move to their permanent space. Rather they will make the most of their time in this space to grow and expand their company to ready themselves for their bigger, better permanent location. The same should be said of our time on earth. After Jesus abandoned the tomb he gave his disciples the following instructions for living out their temporary time on earth as they awaited their permanent home: “Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the ends of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20. If you’ve never put your trust in Jesus and asked Him to forgive your sins, let me encourage you to do that today. And if you have been saved by His grace, let’s live out our time here on earth as he commanded. Thanks for allowing me to share another renovation with you and for joining me as we discover God’s love and restoration for our lives here on Storybook Homes.