Focus on What Will Last Forever
By Rick Warren
“Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18 CEV).
Human beings can handle an enormous amount of frustration, delay, and pain as long as they have hope.
But when hope is gone, people give up.
Jesus offers the only hope that is eternal. And it is a hope that will never disappoint. But you need the right perspective to understand the hope found in Jesus.
That means you don’t just look at what’s going on right now. Instead of focusing on the temporary, focus on the eternal. For instance, pay more attention to God’s Word than the news on your smartphone.
Difficulties don’t last. But hope in God lasts forever. The Bible says, “These three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NCV).
There is a plaque engraved with Hebrew letters that hangs on the wall in my office. People ask me all the time what the Hebrew means. It simply says, “This too shall pass.”
I like to look at it when I’m going through a difficult time. It reminds me that no matter what my circumstances are, they are temporary. No problem comes to stay in your life. It will pass. Even if it is a lifelong chronic problem, you won’t take it into eternity.
Paul reminds us of this in 2 Corinthians 4:18: “Things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That’s why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen.” (CEV).
Your problems won’t last forever. The coronavirus pandemic won’t last forever. Uncertainty with the economy won’t last forever.
But there are things in God’s universe that you can’t see that will last forever. Faith, hope, and love will last forever. And if you trust in Jesus, you will be with God forever in eternity.
Put your hope in Jesus. “Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective” (Colossians 3:2 The Message).
Your hope in Christ will become a hope fulfilled.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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