What truly matters according to the Bible?

Paul says in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul is making the point that no matter what we may accomplish throughout our lifetime, none of it compares to knowing Christ and trusting in His righteousness alone for salvation! He emphasizes this in Ephesians 2:8-9 when he says, “For it is by grace that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the gift of God; not as a result of [your] works, so that no one will boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”

Ecclesiastes 3 has a lot to say about God’s perspective surrounding our lives, like; “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” And, “God has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart.”

Perhaps a good question for all of us to consider if God truly has put eternity in our heart, is what are we going to do about it? I believe it’s our responsibility to hold ourselves accountable for our thoughts, our words, our actions, our habits, as well as for our character.

Jesus says in Luke 6:44-45, “For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”