“Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but My salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!” (Isaiah 51:6 NLT)
Why do we sell our souls for what doesn’t last? It doesn’t even satisfy long term, yet we ignore the only real, lasting, relationship that can heal and make us whole, not just in time, but for all eternity. We treat Jesus as a used tissue or a wrapper we no longer need or in which we see no value.
It’s called spiritual blindness and it’s a disease caused by sin. Every human being has it, and the only cure is Jesus. We can’t learn to love what lasts unless and until we meet and learn to love the One who created that which lasts. Eternal life is a gift from the One who IS eternal life; the One who traded His life for ours in order to give us access to His forgiveness and life that only He possesses.
To seek life in any other person or thing is to seek futility. It’s like trying to swim up Niagara Falls. The power against us is just too great to overcome in our own strength. But here’s the real question: Why even try? We kill ourselves, literally, trying to find peace, fulfillment, hope, help, joy, contentment and every other human emotion in things and in people who are just as broken as we are.
We wrongly believe jobs, careers, opportunities, relationships, hobbies, exercise, or a thousand other things can somehow remove the veil that covers our soul and blinds our eyes to the truth we’re lost and in need of a Savior. Nothing satisfies a hungry soul like a Savior. Nothing erases the longings of a wayfarer like finding their way home.
Loving what lasts begins the moment we meet Jesus and begin the lifelong journey home to heaven with Him. In this season of my life, as my body weakens, my spirit soars as I think of seeing my Savior face to face. My soul longs to be home, not because I don’t love my life here. My wife, family, pups, my church family, the neighbors I’ve come to love and appreciate. My life is filled with good things here on earth, but my soul longs for more than this earth can ever provide.
That’s what we’re all searching for; what we’re all clawing and scratching to find, failing to realize nothing material can satisfy the eternal piece of us that the Lord implanted in our heart when we were born. Pastor Allen Jackson said it well when he wrote: “Our inheritance is unfading. Our treasure is secure—it will not diminish. Our role is pivotal. Our faithfulness is required.”
Our life in Christ is worth the investment required to find its richness and enjoy its reward. Yes, it’s costly, yes it requires effort, and yes, of course it must take precedent over everything else, but it’s well worth whatever cost or effort that’s required. Jesus never promised following Him would be easy. He promised the very opposite.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If any of you wants to by My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)
Perhaps the British Missionary C.T. Studd said it best: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 
Loved it Ed! Thanks again brother. Steve
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