December 8, 2023 

Today's Reading: 

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 24:14-25:12; 1 John 2:15-29

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Nothing lasts forever.  That’s certainly the way it seems to be in this world we live in.  You purchase a new smartphone and after a year or two, you need a new one.  Your favorite sport’s team is hardly recognizable as players come and go.  This world is not meant to last and our life experience confirms this fact.  

So why is it that we continue to buy into all the various promises the world continues to make us?  Let’s face it, we love the world, or at least that’s the temptation.  Who doesn’t want to feel accepted, or to have a more fulfilling life?  Who doesn’t need more happiness? Who doesn’t feel the need to be more in control of their present and future?  We grasp for these things because they give us hope, but the world is passing away along with its empty promises and false hopes.   

“Do not love the world or the things of the world,” John writes.  The one behind all those false promises and hopes this world offers is the one who led Adam and Eve to doubt God's promises, Satan himself.  He is still at it trying to lure us away from the only thing that will last forever.  He’s crafty.  He disguises himself in this world knowing those voids in our lives that he tries to fill with fabricated promises and misplaced hopes.  There is only one thing that remains forever; there is only one thing that will endure after everything else has faded away; the Word of the Lord remains forever (1 Peter 1:25).

This word that lasts forever is the Gospel that was preached to you. God’s promises He makes to you in Christ endure for you, forever.  The world’s promises are based on lies, and that shouldn’t surprise us since Satan “is a liar and the “father of lies” (John 8:44).  You have been given the Spirit of God to know the truth.  You have been given the gift of faith to trust in the one who will never let you down.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and whoever trusts in Him will live forever.  If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.  And this is the promise that He made to us – eternal life” (1 John 2:24-25).  This is the will of God for you, to trust His Son, Jesus.  The Word made flesh remains forever.  Jesus’ Gospel promises for you to endure forever, and trusting in that Word, so will you.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Give us strength to fight the good fight and by faith to overcome all the temptations of Satan, the flesh, and the world so that we may finally receive the salvation of our souls. Amen

- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.