But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in
all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of
the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his
promise, look for a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness.
Christ will come back, and when He does, it will get very
hot. A loud noise will shake the cosmos, and the rattling stars will be
destroyed. The earth and all therein will melt like a stick of butter in the
microwave. It won’t have a chance. All that exists will one day be a puddle of
molten earth goo. This view of the stuff around us as eventually burned up and
melted helps us with the value system that we place on our stuff. One preacher
said, “knowing that it will all burn up one day, why do you still keep piling
up stuff?” He took the analogy further and said that instead of fulfilling the
great commission to save men’s souls, men rather accumulate wheelbarrows full
of sawdust to dump in the fire. All things will one day be consumed, the only
thing that will last for eternity is the souls of men. Why then would we spend
our lives investing in something else? The disciples of Christ apparently
caught this vision from Jesus, which is why you see them within a few decades travelling
around the world proclaiming the gospel to those who are lost. So what will you
accumulate? Wood, hay, stubble? Will you boast that you have more wheelbarrows
full of fire fuel? Or, will you, with eyes like our Savior, see your purpose as
far greater than just an accumulator of stuff and trinkets? Will you not be
enamored by the fleeting “stuff” of culture, and rather pursue a deeper and
greater purpose in the retrieval of men’s lives from the fire? Will you see
yourself as one who holds the truth needed to rescue millions from eternal
destruction, and then like William Carey, Ion-Keith Falconer, and Jim Eliot
spend your life drawing men to life and purpose in Jesus? “You only have one
life, and it will soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.” – C.T.
Studd
Food For Thought:
What item in this devo illustrated the accumulation of stuff? What does this
illustration mean?
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