Nothing Lasts Forever.
“Nothing lasts forever.”
That was the reason that I was given for why my favorite skateboard was broken.
I can remember watching as schoolmates all came to school, one after another with the latest and greatest skateboard. I can remember expressing my desire to my mother for the skateboard. Nash was the best, or at that is what I had been told, from the local experts, none of which were over 12 years old.
I saved up and eventually was able to buy a brand new Nash skateboard.
I walked to school, proudly displaying my new prize.
The “skaters” had asked and received permission to build a quarter-pipe on the school grounds, and I approached the group using it. I was relieved when I heard the words, “nice board, man.”
I was in. The skateboard was the ticket to a whole new social life.
Just so ya know, this isn’t a picture of me. Just some clarification for the two of you who may have thought I could do this.
I wasn’t particularly good, and so it got banged up quite a bit (and so did I).
Then it got misused, dropped, and left outside in the rain.
One afternoon, after a couple of years of hard use and neglect, it was run over by the family Subaru.
I issued a half-hearted complaint.
My mom shrugged and said, “nothing lasts forever.”
While I didn’t like the answer at the time, it was kinder than what could have been said, namely, “it’s your own fault for leaving the skateboard in the driveway.”
Nevertheless, the words made an impact.
“Nothing lasts forever.”
It seemed like she was right. The friendships I had formed while on the skateboard had faded.
My interests expanded, leaving less time for “boarding.”
It’s kind of sad if you think about it.
If it is true, then there isn’t anything that we can rely upon to have any eternal value.
The good news is that it isn’t true.
Psalm 45 informs us to the contrary.
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; (Psalm 45:6-7 ESV)
To my mother’s credit, there aren’t very many things that are as permanent as we want them to be.
Material things rot and rust, friendships can fade, and our own flesh can fail.
But the good news is that Christ’s throne will last forever.
This is good news for us because Christ’s rule and reign is the basis for the guarantee of our hope of eternal life.
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21 ESV)
While sin reigns, death reigns, but Christ’s reign is the reign of grace, and as long as grace reigns, there is eternal life in Christ Jesus.
There is something that lasts forever, it’s the throne of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, and that makes all the difference.
Keep well, be safe, and stay encouraged.
Brian