Temporary or Eternal: Choose Wisely
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17 NIV)
Recently I was reading 1 John and this verse jumped out to me. It is very blunt and simple but 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.
Perhaps one of my greatest challenges as a husband, father, and ministry leader is learning to consistently live with an eternal perspective. It’s so easy to slip into the temporal. This youth baseball game feels awfully important. This particular conflict feels massively important. This decision at church feels tremendously important. So often I give equal emotional attention to things that do not carry equal eternal consequences.
Our lives are made up of a finite number of hours on earth. There is no escaping that. Our clock is always ticking whether we like it or not. James reminds us that our lives “are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” What I choose to do with that time matters.
Lately, I have been reflecting on priorities and boundaries. It’s so easy to let inconsequential things begin to crowd out the things that matter most. If you are a church leader, you likely know this all too well. Sometimes the things that will not matter even a year from now are the very things that consume our minds and emotions most.
What does it look like to live with a true eternal perspective?
Perhaps it starts with whose voice and affirmation matters the most in your life. At some point you have to decide whether you are interested in obedience to the will of God or care more about the affirmation of other people. They do not always conflict, but they certainly will on occasion and you have to choose. Honest pursuit of obedience to God is the place to begin.
Next you might ask yourself a few questions to discern what really matters. Here are a few questions I have used in my own life recently…
Is this thing I am spending so much mental 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 enables me to best love the people in my life?
Is this simply a good thing to do or 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 are many more, but if you are in a time of choosing priorities or making a hard decision, perhaps these questions can be a starting place. The conviction I increasingly feel is, 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 to be obedient to the will of my heavenly Father. There are so many places that I can spend my time and energy. So intentional and discerning choice is a must.
I have never regretted investing in my family. I have never regretted intentionally being less busy to have more time with God. And I’ve never regretted times I’ve made hard choices because I knew God was calling me to something.
Everyday we choose between temporary things and eternal things. Lots of voices are calling for your attention. Choose wisely.