While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 1 Corinthians 4:18
How can we find the eternal more important than the temporal?
We are supposed to think of spiritual things
as being more valuable than this world,
We know that
Easier said than done when we can touch and hear and smell these things,
that often give us instant gratification instead of some promise
that is off in the future,
that we forget about before we gain it
God has tried to show us in many ways how futile the temporal is
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God is forever
We have seen the seasons and the years go by
That which was so important to us in the past,
most of it means little to us,
unless we had a touch of the eternal in it,
such as love or some other important,
invisible, non-temporal characteristic or lesson
Think of the eternal aspect in your memories such as love
or growth in a relationship
Remember any memory you can think of and I would venture to say
the eternal portions of that memory mean far more than the temporal
We are supposed to take God’s word and His promises and live for them
Sure, sounds easy enough
But it’s not
We are inundated with petitions for the flesh
on a daily, hourly, even momentary basis
Each choice we make can have eternal consequences
How do we learn to live for Him and not for ourselves?
How can we truly value and realize the importance of following Him,
putting off the old man and trying to please God instead of ourselves?
It is not easy and there is no simple answer
It takes work
To grasp what He is teaching you will help
While we know the gift of salvation is a free gift,
we also must realize there is an element of effort on our part
Jesus said I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is yet day
for the night is coming when no man can work John 9:4
This is not to be confused with obligatory and sacrificial works of the flesh
This is faith works, things we do out of willingness
and desire to obey and to please God
He told us to do things, call them what you will,
but they take effort and we are not to be lazy
concerning what needs to be done here
Be wise
Build your house upon the Rock
Take up your plow to help till the hard ground
of the hearts of those who need Christ
Carrying your cross is a type of work
Using your talents for God
As He said, Go preach the Gospel to every creature
Yet another example of work
Don’t sit on your Salvation, let Him move into your life and take over
Salvation is just the very beginning of your journey with God,
the path that you have chosen
Do not take it for granted or disregard its importance
as well as the need to share with others the talents He has given you
and to share what He has done in your life with others
that they, too, might see the value in the eternal
Some want God to change them right away
and while we do change right away, the complete change is a slower process
Do your part, yield to Jesus and His ways
He said, take My yoke upon you and Learn of Me…
Learn of Me
and you will find rest for your souls
Learning of Him takes time and effort
The process is different for each one of us
While there may be some similarities, such as reading His word,
spending time with Him in prayer,
the way He teaches each one of us is different
Go with it
Abandon your preconceptions,
abandon your personal mandates and requirements
and let God teach you of Himself
It is a beautiful process to allow the God of the Universe
to truly become God of your life,
in every aspect,
so that you may serve Him in a valuable way,
in the way that you were created to be
Scriptural References:
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Matthew 19:29
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. Isaiah 40:7
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. James 2:26
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: Matthew 7:24
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:21