"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
1 Peter 1:24-25
These verses illustrate one of our biggest problems in mortality... shortsightedness. We focus so often only on the immediate win, rather than the long-term victory, thus often winning a few single battles, but losing the war.
In gospel terms, this could mean a lot of things. Maybe going to church, but not working for a temple recommend. Or enjoying learning about the scriptures in Sunday School, but not reading on our own to enhance our long-term knowledge of the gospel. In everyday life, of course, it means that we so often trade "small" sins for short-term comfort, or bigger sins for temporary pleasures, thinking that we can turn to God and repent later. The problem with this attitude is that we're so wrapped up in our temporary mindset that we don't ever switch over into long-term, and that "later" that we were imagining never comes.
Just like we shouldn't gamble with the rent, or buy candy with our lunch money, the short term spiritual choices we make have long-term consequences. Our our sins now really worth our souls later? (And in case you are dithering, the correct answer is no.) :) Everything we gain through sin is temporary and eventually worthless, whereas, if we invest in the gospel instead, we can gain some permanent good: knowledge and light and becoming a better person, long term.
Today, let's not value the temporary over the permanent, or the ephemeral over the eternal. Let's think about our long-term goals, and if we don't have any, let's get some. Let's make sure that we are prioritizing lasting things over fleeting things, and the gospel and God above all.
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
1 Peter 1:24-25
These verses illustrate one of our biggest problems in mortality... shortsightedness. We focus so often only on the immediate win, rather than the long-term victory, thus often winning a few single battles, but losing the war.
In gospel terms, this could mean a lot of things. Maybe going to church, but not working for a temple recommend. Or enjoying learning about the scriptures in Sunday School, but not reading on our own to enhance our long-term knowledge of the gospel. In everyday life, of course, it means that we so often trade "small" sins for short-term comfort, or bigger sins for temporary pleasures, thinking that we can turn to God and repent later. The problem with this attitude is that we're so wrapped up in our temporary mindset that we don't ever switch over into long-term, and that "later" that we were imagining never comes.
Just like we shouldn't gamble with the rent, or buy candy with our lunch money, the short term spiritual choices we make have long-term consequences. Our our sins now really worth our souls later? (And in case you are dithering, the correct answer is no.) :) Everything we gain through sin is temporary and eventually worthless, whereas, if we invest in the gospel instead, we can gain some permanent good: knowledge and light and becoming a better person, long term.
Today, let's not value the temporary over the permanent, or the ephemeral over the eternal. Let's think about our long-term goals, and if we don't have any, let's get some. Let's make sure that we are prioritizing lasting things over fleeting things, and the gospel and God above all.
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