(The following is the February 1 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Matthew 24 and pay close attention to verses 32-35.)

How often do people place their hope and trust in what they see, touch, or accumulate? Many search for security in a larger bank balance, higher salary, real estate, valuable collections, and intangibles like power and prestige. Related to that, many reject spiritual concerns as foolish. Perhaps they place their faith in observable science alone, shunning anything unprovable apart from the scientific method. Pity such misguided souls. They trust in things that will pass away and reject what can benefit them eternally.
Jesus had much to say about the end times in Matthew 24, including, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (v. 35). That statement contradicts modern sentiment. We devote countless hours to accumulating material possessions, only to be eternally separated from them when we die.
We need food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities; securing them requires time and effort. Such work is honorable and makes us contributing members of society. However, if we endlessly pursue possessions beyond what is necessary and ignore that which lasts beyond this life, we fail to gain the only security that ultimately matters. God’s Word is eternal, as is salvation by grace through faith. Our relationship with Jesus Christ lasts forever. If we pass those up to hold on to temporal possessions, we make a foolish and deadly choice.
Spurgeon said, "The substance of everything earthly passes away by degrees. Even solid granite will rot and crumble. It is a paradox that the substance of things seen is devoid of substance. Empires, dynasties, and thrones have tottered by internal corruption. But the inheritance of the saints of God has nothing within it that can make it perish." *
Next Step:
How have you defined “security” at different life stages? How much hope do you place in possessions? Is there an action you should take to demonstrate prioritizing eternal over temporal matters?
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* CSB Spurgeon Study Bible, ed. Alistair Begg (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1668.
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