‭”The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” — 1 John 2:17 NIV

In 1974 the Rolling Stones recorded a slow-tempo song with an almost hypnotic melody called “Time Waits for No One.” Stones fans still consider it a classic, but everyone recognizes the stark truth the lyrics reveal about our world—time waits for no one.

When we’re young the opportunities of the world entice us. Then our youth turns into middle age and that quickly becomes old age. The dreams and goals that once motivated us often gets lost under a stack of bills, career decisions, and a desire to ditch the stress to experience the world’s happiness. Jesus had something to say about this when He said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

The problem with the world and all its allurement is that nothing lasts. Shiny things become rusty things, clean things become dirty things, and new things become broken things. The only surety of forever that we have in this life is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. While forever in this world means only as long as it really lasts, forever in the religion of Jesus Christ means eternal life, immortal life, and life without end.