Passing away

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. - 1 John 2v17

What do you think would happen if you offered a 4 year old a choice between 100 bright shiny cent coins and a single 2 euro coin? Unless the child was pretty sharp we all know they would grab the pile of cent coins. They look like so much and are a LOT more then the 2 euro coin.

In the same light my wife tells the story about growing up and tricking the youngest brother with a nickel (5 cent piece) and a dime (10 cent piece). Since the nickel was bigger it had to be worth more in his mind!

We can chuckle over these things. They are cute anecdotes about little children. But I think we have an illustration here about us and how we view the worth of things around us.

The world and it’s ‘stuff’ had such a draw. Even when we know the emptiness of the worth and eternal uselessness we still grab at it because it looks so good. All of the shiny baubles of this world are nothing compared to the eternity that God has to offer. The sufferings of this world are nothing compared to the glories that are going to be revealed.

In fact, this present world and all the associated lusts are already in the process of passing away. Since it is passing away it does not even deserve a passing glance. After all, those of us who abide in the will of God are going to live forever. Why then, are we so often distracted by the shiny junk?