Temporary vs. Eternal

I have had this thought on mind a lot in the last couple of weeks, the idea of what is temporary and what is eternal? Maybe it is because of some study I have been doing. Maybe it is because the Lord is just directing my thoughts this direction. Maybe it is because I am dealing with two families right now who have a loved one who may be in their last days, at least that is what the doctors have said. Also, both of the individuals are much younger than we normally think of someone dying. Whatever the reason, I cannot get away from this temporary versus eternal evaluation.

I know that intellectually and theologically this is an easy one to answer, but I don't think it is so easy to answer emotionally or in practice each day. I believe if you are honest you will agree that we sometimes get the answer turned around.

I know that the answer is supposed to be that only Christ and people are of eternal importance, but I am realizing that I don't always live as if that is true. I mean I often elevate stuff to higher level. Haven't you ever gotten more wrapped up in some "things" and jumped over the Lord or people because of those "things"? I have put my schedule ahead of the Lord and people at times, and even done it in the name of the Lord for crying out loud!

Things, houses, cars, clothes, jobs, hobbies, etc... are the truly temporary things of this world. They are not bad, they are just temporary. They can, and will, fade away. But the Lord and the people he has created are the eternal ones. But it is seems that we often choose to treat in reverse order. I have looked into faces today of individual who may not be long to this world and looked at their families, and it hit me like a ton of bricks (not that I know what that feels like) that all the other stuff is truly temporary.

Let me challenge you, and me, to really evaluate our daily practices and see which gets the most of our attention, our energy, our planning, our money and our thoughts, the temporary or the eternal. Don't dismiss this post as the irrational rantings of a pastor who has to say these things. I struggle with this too, I am not saying that we shouldn't invest in houses, cars, clothes, jobs, hobbies, etc..., but I am saying that need to do it with the full knowlege that the Lord and people are more important.

So what will you invest in this week? As for me, I am working on seeing the eternal first and keeping it their in my daily practices. Anybody what to join me in this journey?

Maybe I should have begun this post with "Hi, my name is Denny and I tend to put the temporary ahead of the eternal". Maybe I should start a support group for this struggle, or maybe I should do what I know is right.