Hopeful LivingSample

Seeing your eternity in light of the temporary 

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. 2 Corinthians 4:18

The great preacher W.B. Hinson one day received the news that he had an illness from which he would never recover. In fact, the doctor told him he had only a year, at best, to live. So he went to a quiet place near his home in Portland, Oregon, and looked across a serene lake toward a beautiful mountain in the distance. He recounts,

“I looked at the river in which I rejoice, and I looked at the stately trees that are always God’s own poetry to my soul. And I said, ‘I may not see you many more times, but mountain, I shall be alive when you are gone; and river, I shall be alive when you cease running toward the sea.’”

Just like Hinson, each and every one of us is living on borrowed time. It doesn’t matter if you’re 20 or 90, your days here on this earth are numbered and there will come a day when they’ll be no more. So the question isn’t if, but only when we’ll pass from this life to the next.

For those of us who are in Christ, we have an eternal hope that surpasses everything else. We know that, in the end, we’ll be with the Lord forever, outliving creation as we experience eternity with Him. So while our passing is certain, we have a hope that it will only be the beginning of an endless, joyful existence!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God would give you an eternal perspective on your life, knowing that if you’re in Christ, you’ll experience eternity with Him.

Questions for Thought

Why do you think it’s so easy to focus on the here and now and lose our eternal perspective?

How would a stronger focus on the eternal give you hope as you face life’s challenges?