Depend on what lasts

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 40:1-17

TO CHEW ON: “All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field,
The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.” - Isaiah 40:6-8

I mark the seasons with photographs. If you took a tour of my photo albums you would see burgeoning life creep into them perhaps as early as February with the first snowdrops and the thickening magnolia buds. By April I can hardly keep up with all the “flowers of the field” popping out in beauty around me. Then in September that record of flower life tapers off. The cold winds of December to January shut it down completely.

Wind testing life’s vigor is what Isaiah pictures in today’s reading. This wind is no weather gale, though, but the breath of God.

I usually think of the breath of God as life-giving (e.g. the creation of Adam:

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” - Genesis 2:7 (emphasis added).

Here God’s breath is a test, providing proof of man’s frailty:

“The grass withers, the flower fades
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it" (emphasis added).

That breath proves the worthiness of another entity through—“the word of our God.” It stands forever. I take that “word” as the things God has decreed will happen, both the things He has revealed in His written word—the Bible—and the secret things known only to Him.

As withering, fading humans, we can lean our weakening selves on that certainty. I like how the writer of my Bible’s study notes o Isaiah expresses it:

“The Spirit-breath of the LORD blows in the life of man, amplifying the frailty of his humanity by picturing man as a fading flower and withering grass. This fading, withering man is both comforted and given strength by the Word of God and the Spirit-breath of God. Failing man must focus his faith on the unfailing Word of God and the unfaltering resources of the Spirit of God” - Nathaneal Van Cleave, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 918 (my emphasis).

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to be realistic about my fragility and limited lifespan. Help me to shift my confidence away from the false security of people and all mankind has accomplished, to the lasting rock of Your Word. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Works that last; works that burn

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

TO CHEW ON: "If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." 1 Corinthians 3:14,15


The older I get, the more I ponder the meaning of these verses as they relate to my own life. Will my life's work last or will it burn?

Here are some things the Bible calls enduring or lasting:

• Riches and honour whose source is God - Proverbs 8:18.

• Spiritual food that "endures to everlasting life" - John 6:27. The whole chapter of John 6 is Jesus declaring and explaining his role as the Bread of Life that lasts.

• Spiritual works that endure (1 Corinthians 3:14). The works Paul talks about here relate to building the church and Paul uses the metaphor of Jesus as the foundation of this building and each one of us as builders.

• Faith, hope and love - 1 Corinthians 13:13.

• Unseen eternal things - 2 Corinthians 4:18.

• The kingdom of God, which cannot be shaken - Hebrews 12:27-29.

Here are some of the things the Bible names as frail and destructible:

• Our lives - Psalm 49:12; 78:39; 103:14.

• Our righteousnesses—the good things we do to try to earn salvation - Isaiah 64:6.

• Our pleasures - Luke 12:19,20.

• Human knowledge - 1 Corinthians 13:8.

• The glory of man - 1 Peter 1:24.

• Material things—the earth - Psalm 102:25,26.

• Spiritual works that don't pass the fire test (1 Corinthians 3:15). Though these works will burn, Paul makes a special point of saying that the person who built the works will be spared, barely, and with no reward.

These two lists leave a lot of room for self-searching and discernment, as you and I compare how we spend our lives with what will last, and what won't.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to discern what is a worthwhile use of my limited time on earth. Help me to bring this perspective to all the activities of my life. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The real thing

"Church at Auvers" 1890 by Vincent Van Gogh

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

TO CHEW ON: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

With the invention of the printing press and photography, the world is full of copies. Years ago I visited the Van Gogh museum. After studying Van Gogh in History of Art class, I was excited to see his original paintings. There was one in particular that caught my eye. The colors, especially the red roof, of the “Church at Auvers” were stunning. Later in the gift shop, I flipped through the poster bin, eager to own a red roof of my own. But what a disappointment. None of the representations even came close to the brilliance of the actual painting.

The real painting of love is what we see in 1 Corinthians 13. Study its perfection. See what it is and does. It is long-lasting, rejoices when truth and right prevail, bears up under anything and everything that comes along, believes the best about people, keeps hoping under all circumstances, endures without weakening.

Look at what it isn’t and doesn’t do. It’s not envious, jealous, boastful, or full of itself. It doesn’t parade its accomplishments, isn’t conceited, arrogant, proud, rude, inappropriate, self-seeking, touchy, fretful, or resentful. It doesn’t pay attention to evil done to it, remember a wrong, or rejoice at injustice or unrighteousness.

No matter what personality type you are or what your love weakness is, it’s probably addressed in 1 Corinthians 13. I know mine are and then some! Can I ever love like that? Can you? Only with God’s help!

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please change my inner self to love in the 1 Corinthians 13 way. Amen. 

MORE: How does it work?

Is the Christian life a lifestyle of supernatural enabling or of try-harder in order to live up to the ideal? I believe it’s a little of both.

If we never saw the detailed picture of love painted in 1 Corinthians 13, we might think we were doing pretty well – especially when we compare ourselves to our gossiping neighbor, our jealous cousin or our self-centered star and starlet pop heroes. It’s when we come up against the real thing—as laid out in 1 Corinthians 13 (and fleshed out in the life of Jesus) that we see what a tawdry representation of genuine agape love is portrayed in our lives.

And so we come to God and pray for help—to see our fellowman differently, to let go of hurts, to be kind to annoying people, to trust Him with our future and reputation, to give up the right to manipulate it by boasting, and on and on …

We see the standard. We realize we can’t live up to it. We ask for His help—and slowly we change to become more like 1 Corinthians 13 lovers. Of course we don’t do this to earn heaven but because it’s the way of the One Who loves us and wants only our best. At least that’s the way I see it.

Today is Valentine's Day—a day set aside to celebrate love Let's remember that the greatest gift we could give our loved ones is a hefty package of 1 Corinthians 13 love.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Living for what lasts

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 2:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I didn't withhold my heart from any pleasure,
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;
And this was my reward from all my labor, …
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun." Ecclesiastes 2:10,11

In case we're tempted to look for satisfaction, fulfillment, and a sense of significance in humor, alcohol, creative work, gardening, building and managing an estate, or music, we needn't bother. Solomon has done the experiment for us. His conclusion: "… all was vanity and grasping for the wind."

Jesus' words come to mind as we ponder what does truly last and satisfy? Jesus agrees with Solomon: earthly treasure won't do it, but laying up treasure in heaven leads to a lasting legacy - Matthew 6:19-21.

Some additional thoughts on what this means (emphases added):

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever - 1 John 2:17.

But the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word by which the gospel was preached to you - 1 Peter 1:25.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love - 1 Corinthians 13:13.

Wherever we are at in our quest to live meaningful lives, let's let these scripture perspectives probe our motivations and actions, showing us where we're looking in the wrong places and putting our hopes in the wrong things.


PRAYER: Dear God, I want to live a life that ends with no regrets; that achieves things that outlast me. Help me to see where I'm trusting in the wrong things to achieve this. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Living for what lasts

"...grasping for the wind"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ecclesiastes 2:1-12a

TO CHEW ON: "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun."  Ecclesiastes 2:11

Solomon here paints the picture of a man (supposedly himself) who has tried everything. With intelligence and the resources of a kingdom at his disposal he has dedicated himself to entertainment (Ecclesiastes 2:1-2), enhancing his experience with alcohol (Ecclesiastes 2:3), productivity and creativity in designing and growing gardens (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6), consolidating power with many servants and accumulating wealth (Ecclesiastes 2:7-8), and music (Ecclesiastes 2:8). Still, by his own admission, his life feels empty:

"…indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun."

We may well ask for ourselves, if Solomon tried all these things and found them empty, is there profit anywhere for us? God's word assures us there is.

In several places Bible writers echo Solomon's words about how unprofitable amassing worldly possessions turns out to be. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" says Matthew, recording the words of Jesus (Matthew 6:19-20).

In Luke Jesus says that if, in the attempt to preserve one's own life, a person denies God by being ashamed of Jesus, even gaining the whole world will prove futile. It is only in losing our life for His sake that we find we are living for what is lasting (Luke 6:23-26). Further to this, John tells us that the person who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:17).

Jesus speaks of spiritual food "which endures to everlasting life" versus the other kind that perishes - John 6:27.

Paul speaks of the three graces (faith, hope and love) that endure (1 Corinthians 13:13).

He also speaks of work built on the foundation of Jesus that endures God's testing fire (1 Corinthians 3:9-15). (In Hebrews, those temporary things that won't last are called "things that can be shaken" - Hebrews 12:27).

The lasting things that Paul refers to are not the temporary seen things of this world but the things are unseen and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

And Peter spells out quite clearly what these unseen, lasting things consist of: "'But the word of the Lord endures forever.' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you"  (1 Peter 1:25).

So what lasts?  What is worth our effort? Work that spreads and explains and magnifies the gospel.

Are we busy doing that work, putting our efforts into God's unseen but lasting business? Or will we, like Solomon, come to the end of life and find we've put all our energy and effort into what leaves us feeling empty and cheated?

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to see how the values of the world system I live in are a lie. Help me to know how to put the Bible's insights about what lasts and what doesn't into practice in my everyday life. Amen.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Earth tatters

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 51:1-23

TO CHEW ON: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens

And look on the earth beneath.

For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,

And the earth will grow old like a garment,

And those who dwell in it will die in like manner.

But My salvation will be forever

And My righteousness will not be abolished." Isaiah 51:6

Our society is obsessed with the state of Earth. Hardly a week goes but but we're not warned that if we don't drive less, pollute less, procreate less, use less water, fish less, and on and on, our planet is doomed. Such warnings may be warranted. For the Bible makes no secret of the fact that planet Earth will change and is temporary:

• "They will perish...yes they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak you will change them.." - Psalm 102:26 

• "The earth mourns and fades away..." - Isaiah 24:4.

• "The host of heaven shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll..." - Isaiah 34:4.

• "Heaven and earth shall pass away..." - Matthew 24:35.

• "...the things which are seen are temporary..."- 2 Corinthians 4:18.

• "...the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will meet with fervent heat" - 2 Peter 3:10.

• "The world is passing away, and the lust of it" - 1 John 2:17.

In the light of all that, it is only wise to shift one's focus from the things of this transitory, mutable, doomed Earth to that which doesn't and won't change. We need to expend our energies on the things that last. What are those?

• God - Psalm 102:27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 1:12.

• Jesus - Hebrews 13:8.

• Jesus' words - Matthew 24:35. 

• God's word - 1 Peter 1:25.

• God's dominion - Daniel 7:14.

• "The counsel of the Lord, the plans of His heart" - Psalm 33:11.

• God's salvation and righteousness - Isaiah 51:6 (our focus verse).

• Quality work built on the foundation of Jesus - 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.

("To build on the foundation a building of durable material [gold, silver, precious stones] is to teach sound doctrine and live a life of fidelity to the truth thus leading converts to spiritual maturity. To build with perishable material [wood, hay, stubble] is to provide inadequate or unsound teaching or to compromise the truth by demonstrating a lifestyle that contradicts or fails to model it" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1583.)

How easy it is to give a mental nod to the fact of Earth's impermanence while we continue to live as if it is a lasting reality.

May God grip my heart (yours too?) with His reality, so that "The things of earth will grow strangely dim / In the light of His glory and grace."

PRAYER: Dear God, I'm guilty of living as if life on Earth is the real thing. Help me to grasp, at a heart level, how brief and impermanent this life is, and to change my focus and give my energy to what is real and lasting. Amen.

MORE: "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" - Cynthia Clawson