Focusing On What Will Last | Northstar Church

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” – 2 Corinthians 4:18.

One of the greatest challenges for Christians is maintaining an eternal perspective. Life goes by so quickly and yet we often get caught up in the day to day tasks and forget that we are not promised tomorrow.

James 4:14 says, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” Perhaps if we remembered this truth we would have an easier time also remembering our purpose on earth.

Life isn’t about accumulating money, power, or fame. Life’s about fulfilling God’s purpose for us. We must focus, therefore, on His eternal perspective. Colossians 3:2 tell us, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” God created us for eternity. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” We may live in time, but eternity must be the backdrop of our life. We must learn to live for eternal purposes.

There are many people in the world who do not think about the end and are only concerned about the present, but no matter what a man is today, no matter what he has, everything here on earth ceases immediately at his last breath. When you are born, you commence on a journey from this world to the next. Maybe it helps to see life as a journey into eternity. But the thing about any journey is that while the journey is important, and sometimes can be comfortable and easy and other times can be uncomfortable and hard, the focus is never the journey but the destination.

We need to remember that even difficult circumstances 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. 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.

“Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

Discussion Questions:

In view of eternity, how do we live differently in this life?
In view of eternity, what do we do differently this week?