Week 26
1 John 2:17 “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”
The world and the things of the world seem so solid, so certain, and so secure. The world seems to be a rock that cannot move. It has the feeling of unchangeableness and immovability. But this is a façade. The Bible says that the “world is passing away, and also its lusts.” Right now, at this very minute the world and its lusts are passing away. They are growing dim, fading into the background of oblivion to be no more. Can we not see this?
It does not take long in life to make this observation about the passing of the world. The longer one lives, the more one sees the passing of the worldly who though beautiful, smart, powerful, popular, and well-known are passing away with the world. One day they are standing on the stage of worldly popularity and fame, and the next day they cast into the trash heap of forgottenness. Soon their health breaks, and they die, doomed to be forgotten by changing winds of worldly fickleness.
But the Bible also says that those who do the will of God abide forever. We may be ignored by the world, we may be mocked by the world, but our lives will count for eternity. Christians may be among the poor, the weak, the sick, the old, the overlooked, and the seemingly insignificant. The Christian may be shut out of the halls of privilege in this life, but the Christian looks to the Lord, the Christian serves the Lord, and the Christian seeks to honor the Lord. The life of the Christian, though reckoned to be unimportant by worldly people, is celebrated by heaven itself. And when the days of this life have passed, and the journey on this orb is over, it is the lives of Christians that will stand tall in the annals of history’s pages.
Christian friend, keep seeking the Lord; keep obeying and honoring the Lord. Your life counts more than you know. God is using you in ways that only heaven can explain. Some day in heaven you will see how God has magnificently used you and worked through you to accomplish His will in the lives of others. You may not get awards from the world, but the Lord will reward you in ways that count for eternity. Worldly awards fade over time, and those who seek worldly fame diminish quickly into the backdrop of the unimportant. But if we seek to do the will of God, we will abide forever. Our lives, our love, our commitment, our work, and our service will shine like the stars in the dark sky at night. Smile and give it your best! The Lord sees your service, and the Lord will bless your life and work.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I look not to the world for my sense of significance and meaning; rather, I look to You. Here is my life, Lord, use me as You will, and I will trust You to grant a harvest of blessing, as a result.
