Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Growing up, my daughter struggled with this concept of forever. And honestly, I did too. Buzz Lightyear once said, "To infinity and beyond." But how do you think about the concept of forever, of infinity? How do you describe it? It's just beyond us.
Our Verse of the Day talks about forever. Isaiah chapter 40, verse 8 says, "The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah is writing here, and the key theme of the whole book is salvation. A verse you and I know, Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6—"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given," pointing to Jesus Christ. But in a world that fades, there are two realities that show God's Word alone is unchanging and forever reliable.
The Fading Nature of Life
Number one: the fading nature of life. The verse says it right there: "The grass withers and the flowers fade." This symbolizes the passing nature of the world we live in. Early in my marriage, I got my wife a huge bouquet of flowers—it was beautiful. She kept it, and slowly it began to die. So she actually wrapped the flowers up, hung them upside down inside our house, and they lasted for a long, long time. But they slowly withered and broke, and eventually we had to toss them. As beautiful as flowers are, they eventually fade—just like our world. As 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 24 and 25 say, "The grass withers and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord remains forever."
The Forever Nature of the Word of God
That brings us to our second point: the forever nature of the Word of God. Our verse says this: "but the word of our God stands forever." God's promises, God's purposes, God's Word remains forever.
Avoid What's Temporary
What do we do with this passage? It's very practical. Number one: avoid what is temporary. There's a tremendous book called Essentialism, and it talks about avoiding the trivial many things and doing the vital few. Avoiding what's temporary means avoiding the trivial things we need to leave behind.
Jesus says in Matthew chapter 7, verses 24 through 27, the parable of the wise and foolish builders. He says, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. The rain came down and the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rains came and the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
Friend, if you build your life on what's temporary, your life is eventually going to crash—if it hasn't already.
Build on What Lasts
Secondly: build on what lasts. We want to avoid what's temporary and build on what endures. That's the Word of God. Everything else will ultimately fade. We should anchor our hope and our lives to the things that outlast you and me. You know, in the store, every can, every food product has an expiration date. Batteries wear out. Expiration dates come and go. You have your expiration date, and I have mine. We should build our lives on what lasts. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24, verse 35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away."
In a world where everything has an expiration date, only God's Word is the foundation that ultimately lasts. Let's avoid the temporary and build on what lasts—by living for Jesus Christ, who is eternal and who is forever with us.
