1 John 2:7-11

1 John 2:7-11
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  It's strange what we value at different parts of our lives.  I was going through some of my things in boxes in the basement, and I found a bag with little plastic animals, a wind-up skull and some plastic parts that don't seem to have any value at all.  At some point, however, I valued these things enough to hold onto them.  They were important then.
  I wonder how I'll look back on some of the things I value now.  Will a nice car or worldly status be as important in 30 years as it is now?  Will I look back and think I was a fool for pursuing some of the things I expend energy to chase now?  Probably.
  Faith is so challenging because God is working from an eternal perspective, but we are limited by space and time.  We think we have to squeeze so much out of this current life, when in fact God is trying to teach us that this life is preparation for the eternal.  We love selflessly now not at risk to ourselves, but rather because that is how we will live in eternity.  We aren't giving things up when we sacrifice, we're training our souls for the immortal bodies they will pull on at death.  God is trying to teach us to value the things that endure beyond the grave, but we often can't hear because our minds and hands and hearts are occupied trying to fill themselves with material treasure that is so alluring.
  And so we learn to daily die to ourselves, to empty ourselves and take up the values of God, to learn how to live now in the eternal, to let our hearts sing songs that echo beyond this kingdom into the very heart of God.