“Be Thou exalted in Thy strength. We will sing and praise Thy power.” – Psalm 21:13

Since the dawn of civilization, societies have admired those who have strength and power. From the original Olympics to the Super Bowl today, society loves to watch those with physical prowess do exceptional things. Athletes reach the pinnacle of their skill and receive medals, rings, and trophies. Whole cities exult and rejoice in their victories.

The last time my hometown professional hockey team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, were in the Stanley Cup, the entire city was buzzing with excitement. People were captivated by it in the sense of “If we win, the city will rejoice, and if we lose...well, let’s just hope we win!”

But it is not just athlete’s strength we admire. It is also people of power. People strive and strain to become CEOs, politicians, wealthy, powerful people who control destinies. There is something we admire about power, being at the top, and being the best.

But considering eternity, how important is this? What does it really mean to win the Super Bowl, or get to the top of the ladder in business?

The perspective of time often helps. You probably do not know the names of anyone in the 1920 Olympics, or who was the wealthiest person in the year 1032. But, to those people, their lives may have been defined by those things.

All our striving for things here and now will quickly fade. And the pinnacle of our worldly success on earth, once we get to heaven, might be like a child bragging that they could color with crayons better than any of their classmates. It may be important to them, but in the big picture, it really does not matter a whole lot.

The scripture says that we are to fix our eyes not on what is seen which is temporal, but on that which is unseen, the eternal. And as we see things in the light of eternity, our perspective comes into focus.  Things like strength and power pale in comparison to showing love, giving grace, being faithful, and learning how to really worship our God more deeply and sincerely. And we can turn our eyes from ourselves and our feeble strength to Him and His perfect strength.

In 1 Peter 1:24, he says we are like flowers whose glory fades and falls. Much of what we thought as being of utmost importance in this life will fade--like the crayon drawings we made when we were young. But God’s glory never does. One day we will see Him in the fullness of His glory. And in worship we can begin to exalt His glory and power here and now, and for all eternity.

Questions for Thought

1. What are the things you strive for?

2. In light of eternity, how important are those things?

3. What is really most important?