The recorded history and the buried things of archaeology reveal the vastness of the things that appeared lasting, yet vanished traceless. Everything that we are attracted to—beauty, knowledge, wealth, prestige and power—disappears as though it was just a vapor. It saddened God that the Israelites’ not being able to appreciate the liberation from slavery, only bothering about fish, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlics they enjoyed in Egypt: “But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it could be chewed, the Lord’s wrath flared up against the people, and the Lord struck them with a very great plague.” (Num 11:33) As we grow in knowledge and wisdom, we must be able to discern the difference between the temporal and the eternal, and yearn for the lasting. Peter quotes the prophet and attempts to educate the believers regarding the desire for the permanent and lasting: “For, ‘All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.” (1 Pet 1:24-25) May our souls rise above its attraction to only the things that fall off and disappear, and crave the most valuable and precious wealth of God’s word, that nourishes the soul and spirit and leads to His lasting kingdom.

Abba, Thank You for the gift of Your words that are eternal and life-giving. Let Your Spirit make us perceive the richness and greatness of the preached words of the gospel, In Jesus’ Most Powerful Name, Amen.