The best things are fleeting. Except for one
One Saturday I walked out of the house and saw the most beautiful sunset I have seen in a while. It didn’t hurt that we had hardly seen sunshine all week! I wanted to get a good picture of it, so I drove to what I knew would be a good spot down by the lake. It only took me about three minutes to get there, but by the time I did, there was only a few faint colors left.
Any professional photographer will tell you that getting the perfect shot takes patience. With something as fleeting as a sunset, you have to be in the right time at the right place. Right now the earth is rotating on it’s axis, as it rotates around the sun, and as the whole galaxy hurls through space. Not to mention the clouds in the sky, the trees blocking the view, and so much more. The moment to see the perfect sunrise or sunset is over before you know it.
The truth is many of the best moments in our lives are fleeting. Kids grow up, Christmas is over by noon, and the sun always sets. That’s why we must make the most of those time when we have them. It’s far too easy to be distracted by the tyranny of the urgent and miss the most beautiful part of the day. The temporary nature of these things makes them valuable.
In the Christian life however, it’s different. While the cross was a moment in time, it’s affects are felt throughout eternity. The power of the cross was not in the temporary moment, but in the payment once for all delivered for the salvation of mankind. As if that were not enough, the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus “lives for ever to intercede” for us. Meaning that from the moment you were born until the moment of your death, Christ is pleading your case before the Father. As the eternal son of God who stands outside of time he’s the only one that can do this!
The sacrifice and intercession of Christ are not fleeting, but lasting, eternal, ageless, immortal, ceaseless, imperishable, and deathless. These are the things we can cling to when all other temporary moments pass away. When our loved ones leave us, when blessings dry up, when dreams die, the sacrifice of Christ is still there. Cling to that moment and don’t let go. The sacrifice of Christ is so powerful that it gives us eternal life if we will only believe and put our faith in Him. By all means make the most of the time we have on earth, making memories with family and enjoying the beauty of creation. But may we never forget that even if all that passes away, Christ is still there.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay
