Living in the Light of EtErnity Discovering God’s design for your life K.P. yohannan Living in the Light of Eternity © 2004 by K.P. Yohannan All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The “niv” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Ofce by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires permission of the International Bible Society. Scripture quotations identifed kjv are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public Domain. Scripture quotations marked nasb are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Excerpts in Chapters 3 and 5 are from The Root of the Righteous by A.W. Tozer, copyright © 1955, 1986 by Lowell Tozer. Published by Christian Publications, Inc., Camp Hill, PA. Used with permission. Excerpts in Chapters 4 and 5 are from Victory through Surrender by E. Stanley Jones, copyright © 1991 by Gospel for Asia Publications, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India. Used by permission. Excerpt in Chapter 7 is from Thy Brother’s Blood Crieth by Amy Carmichael and published by Dohnavur Fellowship (originally published as Things As They Are by Morgan and Scott, n.d.). Used by permission of the Dohnavur Fellowship. Excerpt in Chapter 10 is from Call to Discipleship by Juan Carlos Ortiz, copyright © 1975 by Logos International, South Plainfeld, NJ, pp. 42–43. Used by permission. ISBN: 978-1-59589-004-7 Published by gfa books, a division of Gospel for Asia 1800 Golden Trail Court, Carrollton TX 75010 phone: (972) 300-7777 fax: (972) 300-7778 Printed in the United States of America For more information about other materials, visit our website: www.gfa.org. 08 09 10 11 12 / 20 19 18 17 16 15 This book is dedicated to the staf of Gospel for Asia all around the world. These brothers and sisters share my vision and burden for the lost of Asia. They have sacrifced much in order to serve the native missionaries and enable them to win millions to Jesus. Contents Acknowledgments 9 Introduction 11 Hearing the Call of Eternity 1 Lift Up Your Eyes 15 2 Living for Another Kingdom 27 3 Revolutionized from Within 37 4 A Living Sacrifce 45 Overcoming the Obstacles 5 Only One Concern 55 6 What Motivates You? 63 7 Bringing Our Hearts Back into Focus 81 8 Knowing the Enemy 101 9 The Weapon That Guarantees Victory 119 Answering the Call of Eternity 10 Selling All for the Pearl 131 11 Looking beyond the Cross 141 12 Just a Handful of Dust 151 13 Stripping Away Our Secret Longings 167 Living in the Light of Eternity 14 Giving Our Children the Best We Know 179 15 Guidelines for Living in the Light of Eternity 193 16 What Will You Do? 205 Acknowledgments his book is the result of more than 10 years of travel- ing and speaking to God’s people from all walks of life. TWhat you read in this volume has been used by God to change the lives of many. I am grateful to the Lord for al- lowing me to have a part in touching these lives for the sake of His kingdom. This project would not have been possible without the help of my secretary, Heidi Chupp. With tireless determination she typed and proofread the manuscript, added words to make things clear, corrected my spelling and grammar and arranged the chapters in logical order. She did all this and much more without a word of complaint. I also want to thank Debi Carroll for helping to transcribe the majority of these messages from tapes. Finally I want to thank my family—my wife, Gisela, and my children, Daniel and Sarah—for their love and support, with- out which it would be impossible to stay in the battle. They stand with me in our commitment to reach this generation for the Lord. Introduction ecently I found myself in an interesting conversation —with my pen! It was a bit one-sided, but I learned R some things from that talk. For as long as I can remember, even in my school days, I have always used a fountain pen. The one I own today is a gift from a friend—a nice pen that I enjoy using. One day as I sat alone at my desk writing, I looked at that pen in my hand and began a conversation. “Pen,” I said, “I really like you. I think you’re the fnest thing there is. I don’t even loan you out to anyone.” Well, thank you, I imagined the pen to respond. It’s nice to know I’m appreciated. “Pen,” I continued, “you are really part of my personality. My signature—part of who I am—has been shaped by you. There is something about you that no one else can claim. But I’m sad to tell you, Pen, that after a few years you will no longer be mine.” What do you mean? my pen asked. Are you planning to give me away? “I’m more than 40 years old,” I explained. “If I added 100 years to my life, I can’t imagine I would be around anymore. Living in the Light of Eternity You might be, but I’ll be gone. So, Pen, I’ll use you as long as I can. But I’ll not hold you so tightly that I’ll have to weep over you when the end comes.” As you begin to read through this book, I challenge you to take a fresh look at how you are investing your life—your time, your energy, your abilities. You have only one life. It is your choice (whether you realize it or not) how you invest it. Will you spend it on yourself and your own pleasures or throw your- self at the feet of Jesus and tell Him, “Here I am—send me”? When you live your life in the light of eternity, the treasures the world values become worthless. Things do not matter any- more; souls become precious. It is the prayer of my heart that as you come to the end of this book, you will not close it and say simply, “Well, that was challenging,” then go on with your life the way it was before. Take some time right now to pray and ask the Lord to use this book to soften your heart, fll your eyes with tears and move you out of your comfort zone and into a world that is lost and dying without Jesus Christ. I challenge you to get beyond the “I’ve-heard-it-before” mentality. Move into the uncertainty of seeking the will of God for every step. It will be the beginning of a serious, hon- est walk with Jesus. I can assure you, a life spent in this way will be eternally worth it. May the Lord bless you and speak to you as you read these pages. 12 hEaring the Call of EtErnity Chapter One Lift Up Your Eyes hat do you consider to be the rock-bottom essen- tials of life? Let’s make some mental notes of the Wthings we need to survive, or just to get by. Let’s start with a house. How many rooms do we need to survive? All right, let’s choose a one-bedroom house. Let’s add a tiny bathroom; that should be enough. But what about a kitchen? Perhaps a small one. Refrigerator? Can hardly live without it! We will need running water, too—at least cold, and maybe we can add hot as well. What about electricity? We absolutely need that. Carpet- ing? Well, it does get cold in the winter. What about a TV? We need to know what is going on in the world. Let’s move on to the car. What kind do we need? A small, domestic-made car will be the cheapest. We should also con- sider a motorcycle or bicycle—cheaper still. How about clothes? We are not talking about what we want, remember, but only the essentials. A few skirts or pairs