Just Passin' Through

March 8, 2023

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.1 Peter 2:11 NLT

When King Solomon reflected on his life, a life that had more adventure, possessions, and “success” than we can imagine, he penned, “…really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14 NLT). You might think he was just having a bad day or that he was having some kind of mental struggle. Actually, I’ve met many people like Solomon. They have spent the majority of life prioritizing their own pursuits, putting what they wanted first, compiling financial security, relational “scores,” beautiful homes, big titles, and endless possessions. But now as they enter a season of life that once seemed so far away, it all seems meaningless. They wonder why they sacrificed so much for this pile of stuff.

The tension arises when we have pushed back the reality of eternity for a lifetime, and something happens or simply the passage of time makes us face the fact that we aren’t going to be here forever. Solomon said again, “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” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). We know eternity is real, that the void within us can only be filled by connecting intimately with our Creator and following His rule and authority for life. But instead, we spend our lives in pursuit of every possible direction we think might satisfy. We end up saying as did Solomon, “It’s meaningless, like chasing the wind.”

When Peter met Jesus Christ and chose to seek first Christ’s Kingdom and rule in his own life, his perspective changed! He saw life and eternity correctly, with great clarity. He knew, as the old gospel/country song says, “This world is not my home, I’m just a’ passin’ through!” He urged his friends and fellow followers of Jesus, “Remember, you are temporary residents and foreigners here! Don’t live like this world is your final destination. There’s more!”

We betray our limited, false perspective when we say things like, “I’m living my best life now!” or “This is as good as it gets!” Really? This world is beautiful lived under the rule of Jesus, but as good as it gets? Hardly. There’s nothing in this world worth pursuing with our supreme passion and energy because it won’t last. Unfortunately, we too easily let this world shape our perspective and actions rather than the next. We think we deserve what we want today and don’t think about what it will cost us tomorrow, certainly not what it will cost us eternally. We spend our lives pursuing fool’s gold and piling up treasures we can’t take with us.

God cares about you so much that He wants you to invest your one and only life in what is eternal, not spend it on the temporary. You’re just passing through to the eternal Kingdom where Jesus rules forever.

• Before today, when did you last truly consider eternity? What do you think now?