I wonder if we realize how radically “now-oriented” our modern world is. It’s one thing to “live in the present” and trust God for today—that’s great. But it’s another thing to live in complete denial of the looming, final reality of the next life. It seems the air we breathe in Western culture is contaminated with fumes that make people (even many Christians!) forget about eternity.
We need some “Bible oxygen” in order to keep our heads. According to 2 Corinthians 4:17-5:1 this life and its troubles are but “momentary,” and our bodies are mere “tents” we camp in for our brief earthly stay. “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more” (Ps 103:15-16). Compare your time in this world to the dandelion: a bright yellow blossom one day, then before you know it its fuzzy little seeds float away and the flower is gone. And so, Jesus calls the man in Luke 12:16-21 a fool: he may have been rich, but in his delirium he forgot about the next life. He was like Demas, who deserted Paul in time of need because “he was in love with this world” (2 Tim 4:10). And like the Laodiceans, who trusted in their wealth yet failed to see that, spiritually, they were destitute (Rev 3:17).
On the authority of God’s Word I say, Beware of the air down here—it’s polluted. Don’t let the here-and-now take center stage in your heart or thoughts or speech or hopes: don’t be a fool. Instead, give your heart to Christ, get your Bible oxygen, and set your hope in heaven!
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