Proverbs 21:31
A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to Yahweh.
Human preparation and strategy is called for, but one must keep in mind that these only succeed if Yahweh so wills.
John 15:16
I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.
What is fruit that will last?
What is lasting?
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The word(s) of God will never pass away.
The love of God will never pass away. Nothing can separate us from it.
Giving God’s word and God’s love is always a good idea. Always. Because it is lasting. Sure it can be refused, but don’t stop giving it!
And I also think of habits. Habits can be lasting. Some may even be everlasting. We live in this in-between time, anticipating the coming of God’s Kingdom fully realized, Jesus’ second advent. In this time now we can actually form habits that will last for eternity. Praising God, Loving God–this is what we do gladly forever and ever. Living for God and in the values Jesus modeled–this also is fruit that will last. Why not devote your time and energy now to all that really matters forever?
There’s focus. Habit forming requires focus. Think of anything you’ve ever given significant focus to in your life. You can remember it, can’t you? Because you dedicated yourself to it over time and in great depth. And that causes it to stay with you, to last. This can be for good or bad as we know. Some things we replay in our mind again and again that we wish we wouldn’t. But think of all that we can dedicate ourselves to play over and over in our mind that we are able to embed for good, for growth, for healing. This is meditation. And we’re meditating daily, intentionally or not. For good or for ill. O like that quote: “Worrying is praying for what you don’t want.”
Focus on people, in positive ways, can be the healing of the nations if we actually do it. This can be called prayer. There’s a million, shallow, time-wasting things we’ve done in life that don’t last for more than a few minutes. But there’s so much we can do that lasts, and it goes against what we are intensely coaxed to do in our luxurious culture of excessively extravagant meaninglessness.
How much time do we really need to surf the net, watch another series of shows, and do work from home? Some of that is ok, yes, but how much of our time is really used for things that will last?