“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
—2 Corinthians 4:18

Let me ask you a question: When you think about the things in life that really matter, that really add value—beyond having your basic needs for survival met— are they things that are seen or things that are unseen? I’d say they are unseen. For example, can you see love? In a sense, you can see the effects of love, but love is spiritual. We need to build our lives upon those things that are not seen, eternal things such as love, joy, and peace. Everything in the visible world is only temporary and fades away, but spiritual qualities are the soul’s true food.

I once heard a man talk about buying a new refrigerator when he was a young adult. This was one of the first major appliances this guy ever bought in his life, and he was so excited about it, he kept going into the kitchen and looking at it. He even got up in the middle of the night to go down to his kitchen to look at it again and marvel at its automatic ice maker and chilled water features. But eventually his love for his refrigerator went cold. (I hope you got that joke.) The point is that our excitement over everything in the material world wears off. You get a new car and you just love it so much at first and maybe you still appreciate it over the years, but eventually the newness fades away.

Let’s make sure we’re investing our time and our talent, our love, affection, and treasure in spiritual things that will last forever. We’re not going to be able to take our houses and cars with us into eternity. “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1–2). Let’s make our lives count by living for things that are worth living for.

Father God, help me to set my affection on things that are eternal and not invest too much of my time, talent, and treasure in things that will fade away. I want to pursue Jesus and to know Him in “the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). I want my life to count for eternity.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.