Even Today Fades Away

25 Apr Even Today Fades Away

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 (NLT)
Thought for the Day: “The things we see now will soon be gone!”

In 1956, a Christian missionary named Jim Eliot was killed in Ecuador by the very people he had gone down to preach the Gospel to. Having gone to Ecuador to spread Jesus’ love and evangelize the Huaorani people, tragedy quickly struck and his life was cut short at 28. But, Eliot did not focus on the temporary parts of life. Instead, he believed that “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” While Jim Eliot and four other missionaries lost their lives on the mission field, their faith leaves a tremendous legacy countless years later!

How often do we find ourselves fixated on seemingly important things that are here today but gone tomorrow? Too often, it is easy for Christians to become caught up with what doesn’t matter and lose sight of what does. At these times, we get caught up in things like competition with others or attempting to make sense of life’s troubles. But – life was no different even 2000 years ago. Consider the perspective of the Apostle Paul: “We don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Let’s be clear: we are not all expected to uproot our lives and move to another continent. However, missionaries like Jim Eliot and the Apostle Paul remind us that we don’t need to be obsessed with the temporary things in our lives. Our feelings lie to us. Whether life is really good right now or really challenging, it doesn’t make a huge difference. Scripture and science both agree: our lives are temporary. None of us will live forever on this earth. Both the ‘really good’ or ‘really challenging’ of today will fade away. So, rather than worrying about the things we see now, let’s love God, love our neighbors, and pray for each other!

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David