Fading

"...an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away..." 1 Peter 1.4 

"The grass withers, and its flower fails away, But the Word of the Lord endures forever." 1 Peter 1.24

 

I weep a bit when I read these words. I've suffered loss, seen corruption, experienced defilement. But look and see! What a promise! This assures us that in heaven, for all eternity, our inheritance and our God will not be corruptible or defiled nor will they fade away. Never. Never changing. Always. Wow.

Perhaps it's my age, the years of experience. Or perhaps it is the Spirit of the Living God abiding within, teaching and revealing. But I'm very aware of the defilement, the corruption, the fading away. I've learned about the joy that accompanies the new, shiny, exciting thing: it will fade, it will fail.

I'm not trying to be a downer here. It's simple reality. And in all honesty, it doesn't need to be a downer, just an honest assessment. Because there is a hope, a real and genuine and lasting hope.

Last week the lawn was mowed and thoroughly raked. The gardens were meticulously weeded and edged. The sprinkler had been run generously, renewing green vitality throughout.

Today? Mounds of grass lie drying in the sun where the mower did its work yesterday. The dirt is dry and the plants lackluster. Clover and grass are creeping across the border. And I sigh a bit, shrug my shoulders and say, "Well, that was nice while it lasted. But I have an inheritance in heaven that is incorruptible and undefiled and does not fade away. Thanks be to my Lord Jesus Christ!"

Time and again the new glass pitcher breaks, the cleaned window gets cloudy, and the friendship fails. A good lesson has been learned. Enjoy the beauty, but don't depend on it for real joy. Delight in the experience but find lasting delight in Him. Lean only on Him and look to Him for the real thing.
The incorruptible awaits us, and oh, how glorious that will be! Perfection forever.

But He is with us today; His beauty, His faithfulness, and His truth.

"The Word of the Lord endures forever."

How wondrous to behold the eternal, the everlasting. It is here for us, even today.