Tag: temporary

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Ecclesiastes Devotionals

Because life is a breath

Ecclesiastes

One thing to note about the word “vanity” that Solomon has repeated time and again in Ecclesiastes is that it literally means “a breath.” A breath is such a temporary thing, which is why it is often used as a metaphor for “vanity.”

Throughout the Bible, life is often described as a breath. Our time here on earth is short. There is so much that is uncertain in life.

We don’t know what disasters may befall us. We can plan for different contingencies and it is wise to do so because we don’t know what will happen in the future. (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)

But as  I’ve mentioned before, death eventually comes for us all.

So what do we do with that knowledge?

1. Rejoice in the gift of life God has given us. He has given us so much that we can rejoice in. (7-9)

2. Remember that we are in a broken world. And so it doesn’t matter how righteous you are, bad things will happen to us. (8b)

3. Remember that whether good or bad, all things in this life are fleeting.

So when evil things happen on this earth, remember that they are temporary. They won’t last forever.

That’s important for everyone to remember, but especially for those who are young. Too often young people waste their best years because they think their sorrows will never end. (10)

On the other hand, when good things happen earth, enjoy them, thank God for them, but remember that good times too are fleeting, and that we will see trouble in our lives again.

4. But most importantly, remember that our life here on earth is preparation for eternity. And the day will come when God will judge us all. (9b)

We can waste a lot of time with things that are merely temporary. We can put our hope in a lot of things that cannot deliver. So let us instead turn our eyes on God and put our hope in him.

So let us pray with David.

LORD, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.

In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor.
Selah

Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.

“Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you. (Psalm 39:4-7)

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2 Corinthians

Though we may groan

2 Corinthians

In this passage, Paul continues his thought on why he had hope in the midst of trial.

He says,

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

Whereas Paul compared our bodies to jars of clay in chapter four, he now compares our bodies to tents. And he says these bodies we live in are just as temporary and flimsy as a tent. It will not last.

But even if they’re destroyed, we have hope. Why? Because we know that we will have another dwelling that is much stronger and will endure forever.

Here he is talking about our resurrection bodies which he talks about in 1 Corinthians 15, bodies that will never get sick or die. But he says that while we have this hope,

We groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:2-4)

In other words, we have hope that we’ll not be mere spirits after we die but will actually have new bodies.

But until then, we groan. And as we suffer in this body we are in now, we long to have our new body, knowing that when we receive it, all our weaknesses and sufferings will be gone.

Why in the midst of our troubles can we have this hope? Because God has given us his guarantee on it.

Paul says,

Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 5:5)

In short, it was God’s purpose from the very beginning to give us this new life in him, and to assure us that it will happen, he has sent his Spirit into our hearts.

And each day, the Spirit whispers to us that we are God’s children and works in us each day to transform us into the likeness of Christ.

It is as we hear his voice and see his work in us, then, that we find hope.

Because of this, Paul writes,

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:6-7)

I like the way the ESV puts verse 6. We are always “of good courage.”

We know that we are only away from the Lord for just a little while. We will see him. And so each day, we live by faith with these things in mind. That in turn affects the way we live each day.

So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)

Because we know that we will see Christ some day, because we know that we will one day be judged for how we live our lives, we make it our goal to please him.

We no longer live to please ourselves, but to please him.

So though we may groan through our trials and struggles, let us keep the end in mind. We will be with the Lord some day and all things will be made new.

Knowing that, let us make it our goal to please him each day. If we do, on judgment day, we will have no need to be ashamed.

How are you living your life? With temporary things in view? Or with the eternal?

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2 Corinthians

How not to lose hope

2 Corinthians

Paul closes this chapter the same way he opens it: with hope.

Here was a man that had experienced so much that it would have been easy for him to lose hope.

He had been hard pressed on every side, with conflicts from without and fears from within (2 Corinthians 7:5).

We often face the same problem. Not only do we have to fight our circumstances, but we have to fight our own feelings. We have to fight our fears, our frustrations, our sorrows, our hurt.

Paul had gone through times where he felt perplexed. Literally, the word perplexed in Greek means “no way,” meaning that he was at a loss, seeing no way out of his situation.

He had been persecuted for his faith and even stoned and left for dead. On top of that, we saw all the problems he had with the Corinthian church, leaving him wondering if all he had done had been in vain.

And yet he had hope. Though he was hard pressed, he was not crushed, neither by his circumstances nor his feelings.

Though he was at a loss, he was not “utterly at a loss.” He knew that if he sought God, eventually he would find a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Though he was persecuted, he knew Jesus had not abandoned him. And though he was struck down, he was not destroyed.

Why? How could he hold on to this hope in spite of his circumstances?

Because he knew God had a plan.

He says in verse 1,

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. (2 Corinthians 4:1)

Paul knew God had given him the ministry that he had. And God didn’t give him that ministry for nothing. But God had given him that ministry to accomplish His purposes.

More, Paul knew that he didn’t even deserve to be given that ministry. He had hated Jesus and had even persecuted the church.

But by God’s mercy, God showed him the truth. God had even told him beforehand, “You will suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:16).

So Paul knew that this suffering he was going through was not a surprise to God.

God didn’t say, “Whoa, I didn’t see that coming. Sorry about that Paul.”

Rather, everything that Paul went through, God knew about in advance.

And Paul knew that the same mercy that pulled him out of the darkness of his sin into the light of life, would pull him out of the darkness of his trials into the light of glory as well.

So at the end of this chapter he says again,

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

In other words, though we may suffer in this life, even though we may feel like we are falling apart physically and emotionally, day by day God is doing a work in us.

He is using our trials to transform us into the likeness of his Son that we may reflect his glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

So how do we maintain hope in the midst of trial? By fixing our eyes not on our troubles that we can see. But by focusing on Him who is unseen.

Though we may not be able to see his plan, we need to trust that he has one.

We need to trust that these trials will not last forever. That he will bring us through. And that if we hang in there, we will see his glory, not just in himself, but in our situation and in ourselves.

I like the New King James version of verse 17.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

So let us remember that. God is not surprised by anything that you’re going through. He has a plan.

So whatever you’re going through, put your trust in him that he will work out his plans, and if you do, you will find hope.

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Jeremiah

Seeking what’s temporary. Seeking what’s eternal

Jeremiah

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, was throwing a pity party for himself. 

He had delivered Jeremiah’s words to King Jehoiakim, but Jehoiakim merely took the scroll, cut it into pieces, and burned it.

As a result, Baruch was totally discouraged, saying,

Woe to me!  The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.  (Jeremiah 45:3)

In short, “Why am I doing this?  What profit am I getting from serving Jeremiah and the Lord.  I do what they say, and all that ever happens is that I get into trouble. 

“I could be doing other things.  I could be out there in the world earning money, and becoming rich.  I could be doing something that actually amounts to something.  Why do I have to subject myself to all this?”

But God responded to him, saying,

This is what the Lord says:  I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the land. 

Should you then seek great things for yourself?  Seek them not. 

For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.  (4-5)

What was God saying?  Basically he was telling him that this world is temporary.  All that we see will ultimately be destroyed. 

So don’t seek the things of this world which are here today and gone tomorrow.  But seek God and his kingdom. 

And while all those who serve themselves will ultimately perish, you will find true life.

Do you get discouraged sometimes about doing what’s right?  Do you ever feel like you’re wasting your time serving God?  Do you think you’d be better off seeking the things of the world? 

Don’t waste your time seeking what’s temporary.  Seek what’s eternal.  For only in doing so will you ever find true life and true reward. 

As Paul wrote,

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  (Galatians 6:9)