2 Corinthians 4:18 - Focus on What Will Last Forever.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLV) So we fix our eyes
not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,
since what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.
INTRODUCTION
Giving up often causes us to miss the best
God has to offer. It is easy to lose heart and
quit. We all have faced problems in our
relationships or in our work that have caused us to want
to think about laying down the tools and
walking away. Rather than giving up when persecution
wore him down, Paul concentrated on experiencing
the inner strength from the Holy Spirit (Ephes.
3:16). Don't let fatigue, pain, or criticism force
you off the job. Renew your commitment to
serving Christ. Don't forsake your eternal reward
because of the intensity of today's pain. Your very
weakness allows the resurrection power of Christ to
strengthen you moment by moment. [Life Application
SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
I'm standing outside on my deck in early
spring, surveying the patio below where a bunch of
ceramic and plastic pots are filled with dead
plants. It's a somewhat depressing sight, and I
wonder if the perennials will come back to life. I
know they won't with any help from me - I'm a
serial plant killer. My husband, Hal, is the one
with the green thumb. He's out there, early in
the season, tidying up the space and preparing
for the new growth.
I know in my heart that when spring
really kicks in, many of those sad-looking plants
will begin to sprout and later flourish. What I
see now is only temporary. Change is happening
in the garden; I just can't discern it with my
eyes. In my mind, I remember the blooms of last
season and imagine the flowers that will bring me
joy in the coming months.
That was the message the apostle Paul
delivered to the Corinthian church. Although it
appeared they were taking a beating and facing
hardships because they were following Jesus, like my
dead plants, they were actually being renewed
each day because of their belief in Jesus.
Eternal joy was on the horizon, not only in heaven
with the Lord but also coming to them on earth.
Despite this season of seemingly lifeless
surroundings, I use my eternal vision and look forward to
better days and the glory of spring that's ahead.
Barbranda Lumpkins Walls
Faith Step: In what situation do you need
eternal vision? Journal about what seems to be
happening and pray for Jesus to show you what's really
happening. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
We are to "look not at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal; but
the things which are not seen are eternal." 2
Corinthians 4:18. The exchange we make in the denial of
selfish desires and inclinations is an exchange of
the worthless and transitory for the precious
and enduring. This is not sacrifice, but
infinite gain.
"Something better" is the watchword of
education, the law of all true living. Whatever Christ
asks us to renounce, He offers in its stead
something better. Often the youth cherish objects,
pursuits, and pleasures that may not appear to be
evil, but that fall short of the highest good.
They divert the life from its noblest aim.
Arbitrary measures or direct denunciation may not
avail in leading these youth to relinquish that
which they hold dear. Let them be directed to
something better than display, ambition, or
self-indulgence. Bring them in contact with truer beauty,
with loftier principles, and with nobler lives.
Lead them to behold the One "altogether lovely."
When once the gaze is fixed upon Him, the life
finds its center. The enthusiasm, the generous
devotion, the passionate ardor, of the youth find here
their true object. Duty becomes a delight and
sacrifice a pleasure. To honor Christ, to become like
Him, to work for Him, is the life's highest
ambition and its greatest joy. ED296,7
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
2 Corinthians 4:18 - Focus on What Will Last
Forever.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200910-1039.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
