Devotion: Temporary!

“Temporary” is defined as “lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.”  That is exactly what this life is, temporary, lasting for only a limited period of time.  That is exactly what this world is, temporary.  That is exactly what the things of this world are, temporary.  That is exactly what the offerings of the world are, temporary.  Those of you who love this life, who love this world, who love the things of this world, and who love what this world offers fail to understand that all of these things are but for a limited time period.  They are all temporary, not permanent.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (I John 2:15-17).

We are not supposed to love this world neither are we to love the things of this world, but for many, the world and the things of this world are exactly what they love the most.  They love those things that gives them a sense of pleasure as they try desperately to appease their fleshly desires, but the problem is that “the lust of the flesh” is temporary.  They love those things that gives them a sense of pleasure through what they see, that desire to have all that they see, but again, the problem is that “the lust of the eye” is also temporary.  They love those things that gives them a sense of pride, making them think they are special because of what they look like, what they have, and/or who they are, and the problem that “the pride of life” is temporary as well.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mark 8:36-37)?

So many try to gain the world and the things of this world, but at what price?  What will it profit a man when he has gained the world but lost his soul in the process?  Temporary happiness isn't worth the long-term pain to come (Revelation 20:10-15).  Nothing that is gained through this world last forever, all things are for only a limited period of time.  Nothing here is permanent, it is all temporary.

“These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long.  Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever” (II Corinthians 4:17 TLB)!

Though it seems like some things go on forever, all things are temporary.  It is the same with the struggles we have with poverty, sickness, depression, fear, discouragement, low self-esteem, worry, anxiety, confusion, doubt and the like, they are all temporary.  Though they seem to last forever and many endure such things their entire lifetime, these are but light afflictions and are all temporary, lasting for only a limited period of time.  It is the same with death itself; it too is a temporary thing.

“So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen.  The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” (II Corinthians 4:18 TLB).

Temporary means exactly that, “lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent” and that is what this life is, what we are, and what this world is, temporary.  Temporary is what all the things that we see are, “lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.”  Let us look not at the things we see right now, the troubles that we see in the world, the things that we see in the news, social media, and the like, for all things are but temporary.  Let us focus our attention on the things that are not seen, the joys of heaven, for those things, which are not seen, are the things that are eternal and the things that will last forever.

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.  And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Philippians 3:20 NLT).

We thank God for this inspirational message that he also provided and the avenue that he has given us to share his word.  We continually pray that God’s grace will be upon you and that these devotionals will be a blessing to you.  If you are blessed by them, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW