“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” -1 John 2:17
This scripture is very blunt and simple, but it carries tremendous weight. Every day in our lives, there are things that we give attention to that will pass away and other things that will not. The scripture speaks clearly into this reality.: choose wisely.
One of my greatest challenges as a mother, wife, and friend is warning to consistently live with an eternal perspective. It’s so easy to slip into the temporary. Money, wealth and status can often feel critical. People chase promotions and chase material things, but they lose reverence over decades or in death. Wealth doesn’t equal happiness.
Matthew 6:19-21 speaks about earthly possessions,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and neither moth nor rust destroys, where thrives do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Our lives are made up of many numbers of hours on earth. There is no escaping that. Our clock is always ticking whether we like it or not. What we choose to do with our time matters.
It is so easy to let inconsequential things begin to crowd out the things that matter most. Sometimes the things that will not matter even a year from now are the very things that consume our minds and emotions most.
Living with a true eternal perspective:
Perhaps it starts with the voice of affirmative matters, the motion life. At some point, we have to decide whether we are interested in obedience to the world of God or care more about the affirmation of other people. they are not always in conflict, but they certainly will on occasion, and we have to choose. Being an honest pursuit of immediate to God is a place to begin.
I have begun asking myself a few questions in life to decree what really matters. Temporary gratification and eternal happiness.
- Is the thing I am spending so much energy on going to matter to me a year from now?
- Which choice has the best chance of producing long-term spiritual fruit?
- Which of these options enable me to best love people in my life?
- Is this simply a good thing to do or is it a true calling?
If I look back on this season of life 10 years from now, what do I imagine I am most likely to wish I had spent more time doing?
There will always be a time when we must choose priorities or making hard decisions, made the question I asked myself can be a good use to you. Whatever the process, we must be intentional with our time and priorities.
In the end, the opinion of other people is not what I live for. I live be obedient to the will of God. There are so many places that I can spend my time and energy. Yet, intentional and discerning choices are a must.
Every day we choose between temporary things and internal things. Lots of voices are calling for our attention. Choose wisely.
From Pity to Praise 