Understand that this world is passing away
The next time you see a lemonade stand, think of this little story…
A little girl decides to have a lemonade stand. She gets all the ingredients, makes the lemonade, and is ready to set up the stand. Her parents, who are glad to help her set things up, ask her where she wants to set the stand up.
"Right on the railway tracks," she replies emphatically, referring to the tracks near their home!
After some back and forth discussion with the girl, the parents unwillingly set it up – since she would not have it any other way.
Once the stand is set up, people come and drink the lemonade, and over the hours the girl becomes very successful. The tracks were indeed the best place to put the stand up, she thought to herself.
Then, the train comes and that is the end of the lemonade stand.
This is not a very plausible story, I know. But here is the point: this world is like a lemonade stand on the railway tracks – it will soon pass away!
If everything you do, everything you work for, everything you suffer for, everything you save for… if all your investments are only for this world then you when what will you do when the train comes?
Jesus said it like this:
Mt 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
In view of that, as you go about your life doing things and striving to accomplish great successes in the world, never forget that this world is passing away. Don’t trade your soul for earthly treasure. And further, don’t trade your heavenly reward for earthly treasure either.
Does this mean that we should do a shoddy job in any job? Not at all! Mk 7:37 tells us that Jesus did all things well, and therefore, so should we.
We all must work hard and make a living to make sure that our family’s needs are met. And God is so generous that – in the case of most of us – he allows us to enjoy far more than the minimum needed to survive. But we must never let anything earthly find a permanent spot in our hearts.
Here is what Paul said:
1 Tm 6:7-10 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Let the fact that the world is passing away influence everything you do. Let it stay in the back of your mind every day and every night. If you do that then when the time comes for the world to pass away you will not find yourself with nothing of real value.
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