New Testament passage for Sat., Dec. 1, 2012: I John 2:1-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. I John 2:15-17 (NKJV)
I can at times be a sentimental type of person. It happens when I travel to places from my past -- the house I grew up in, a school, a park where I paused on day. I can get sentimental when I re-live some of the great moments I have enjoyed with great friends. I remember days when the kids were young and we played board games on vacation. I long to renew old relationships that have long gone away. Incidentally, Facebook can be a journey into the past -- even as it brings us up to the present!
In a twinkling of an eye, time flows by and the past is gone. It goes by leaving behind sweet memories of wonderful times. I, by nature, would like to revisit those places. But, they aren't there any more.
God continually speaks to us of the transcience and fragileness of this wonderful thing we call life. Psalm 39:5 says, "Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor."
God tells us to not fall in love with this world or the things of this world. Why? Because they are passing away. They are here today and gone tomorrow leaving us with broken hearts because we can't let go -- we grab hold of life thinking that nothing could be better.
We are like men holding sand on a seashore watching it slide through our fingers. Like the proverbial river of Heroclitus: "You can never step into the same river twice." We engage in a futule effort to hold on to that which is passing away.
We THANK GOD for all the fantastic memories and experiences that have come our way. We revel in the beauty of the world He has created. We enjoy every moment of breath and life -- a great meal, a beautiful sunset, a refreshing conversation.
But, there is far more. There is the Father. The Father to whom we will return. There is a greater and more powerful experience awaiting us. John calls it "the love of the Father." It makes all that we have here look pale and empty.
By contrast, all that is in the world is centered on US -- what we get, what we possess, what people think of us. John call these "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." They are all about ME.
Our destiny is in the Father. He is the fulfillment of every heart. He is the consummation of all desire. He is the One Who holds us forever. I think all the good things that come our way here are mere shadows of the good things He has in store for us. When we understand this, we can not get too worried about what's happening to us now. A better day lies ahead.
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