A few years ago PBS aired a show called Frontier House. The basic idea was to place three families out in Montana to live life as it would have been like in 1883 out on the frontier. At the end of the show, the families were judged by historical experts as to how well they had set up their homesteads to be able to survive through the winter. In 1883, if their homes weren’t sturdy and their provisions weren’t stockpiled, they wouldn’t live to see spring.
In the day of home heating and grocery stores, we don’t have to worry too much about surviving the winter. We rely on those amenities to keep us warm and fed. Unlike the frontiersman of 1883, we have tamed winter.
But we haven’t defeated winter. If we lost electrical power in this country, we would be exposed to the harshness of winter. Those amenities that we had relied on would no longer protect us and we would have to look for new ways to survive.
Never become too dependent on the material things of this world. In the blink of an eye, all of those things can be lost. The only thing that you can depend on no matter what is God.
The people on Frontier House were living a fictitious life. If they hadn’t succeeded well enough to make it through a Montana winter, it didn’t really matter – they were going back to their 21st century homes. But how we carve out our lives as Christians in this world does matter. Yes, we’ll ultimately return to our home in heaven. But like the people on the TV show, we will be judged on how well we do in the life God has placed us in for now.
Stockpile for yourself spiritual goods that will see you through the tough times and store up treasures in heaven. Study the Word, spend time with the Lord, and live for Him. Learn now to rely on Him completely. Don’t wait until you have no choice.
