This world is not all there is.

This world is not all there is. It's not even the largest portion of our existence. This world serves as a training ground for all that really matters. How foolish is it, then, when we spend so much time worrying about this world? The ironic part is that Jesus told us Himself that in this world (this small portion of all of our existence) we would have trouble. Boy, was He ever right on that one?

Babies starving. People dying. Parents aging. Marriages crumbling. Families hurting. Leaders failing. Economy depressing. Government bailing (just had to stick that one in there). Not to mention the extra persecution and suffering that Jesus promised those who would follow Him.

I ask the question again: how foolish is it that we get so caught up in a world that never promises us anything worth holding on to in the first place? But we all do at some point. We worry about accounts--emotional, financial, physical and relational. Deposits in; withdrawals taken. Yet the Bible is clear that the only investments that will matter are the ones that extend beyond the scope of the here and now. They are the investments made in a Kingdom not of this world, not of this time. When we live our lives by that Kingdom's principles we can steer clear of the baggage that can so easily entangle us in this kingdom. Here's a great thought to close that I heard from a friend this week:

If you are disturbed by watching the economy around you culture, you must ask yourself which kingdom you are really living in. God's Kingdom has never crumbled; the earthly one will never stand. Better make sure your feet and your heart and your mind are firmly planted in a Kingdom not of this world.