So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.
2 Corinthians 4:18 AMP
The Context and Focus:
This generation is used to being led by what it can see, hear, touch, taste, smell and feel by its senses. We have built a business around catering to and pleasing the human nature. People defend the decisions they make by using the sinful human nature as an excuse, claiming that they cannot help who they are or what they do, because that is what they are. Nothing is said of the abundant supply of grace that God makes available to ensure that mortal man can walk with the immortal God. Nothing is said of the awesome mercy that God shows in picking man up from the miry clay and setting his feet on the solid ground. God will always play his part, but man also needs to learn to play his part, as there are things that God demands I do, which He will not do for me. This is the background to the verse above: I have to play my part, sure and certain that God will do his bit, and He will bring me to the place of fulfillment of His purpose for me.
The Message:
The verse above makes clear that this man of flesh is not going anywhere. It is of the earth, and it is temporal. No matter how long or how well he lives, and no matter how much he earns or learns, everything the earth gives you will be demanded by the earth before we leave or when Jesus returns. This is why I cannot afford to focus on the things this earth obtained for me. As long as I have used earth's resources to obtain them, the earth will demand an accounting. I must enjoy all that God gives me on the earth; after all, the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness of it. He wants me to use the earth's resources to improve the lives of all I meet, but I must not be distracted or deceived by them. There is a false hope that wealth gives, yet till today, man has not been able to find a drug or device that can stop death permanently. Man may live to be more than 100 years on earth, yet one day, that man will take his leave from the earth, and then eternity starts. This focus has to be clear, concise and consistent.
The Conclusion:
It is no surprise that it is Paul who wrote this letter to the church in Corinth. He knew what his past looked like, but he would not be limited by it. He knew that he had done some terrible things in the past, which were visible, but there was the blood of Jesus, invisible but impacting. He testified in another letter, this time to the church in Phiippi, that he would forget all that was in his past or present, and just focus on that which, at the time, was not visible. This is a walk of faith, where the human senses have limited parts to play. You cannot reduce God to the level of your reason and logic, because most of what he does will never follow the pattern we think we have figured out. As long as it is visible, it is very temporary. Labour not for the things that perishes, but seek after the things that are eternal. The person who sits at the control centre of your life will define where you end. If it is God, eternity is settled. God's time of favour is here.
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