COLOSSIANS 2:22

“(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of man?”

We spend so much time on things that will not last. During my last illness with my disease (AL Amyloidosis) and the subsequent Stem Cell Transplant and Chemo, God told me to focus on the eternal, not the temporal. Things really just don’t mean much to me anymore. What I possess or don’t possess isn’t important. Why do so many of us struggle with this?

In today’s verse, Paul says in a kind of side note, “(which all refer to things destined to perish with use).” These words from Paul are an insert into the stream of thought. Because they are part of God’s Word, they are still inspired by the Holy Spirit. He is reinforcing his previous statements about the importance of focusing on the things of God and not the things of this world.

APPLICATION

The phrase “destined to perish” is the Greek word phthora which can be translated as corruption, destruction, decay, rottenness or decomposition. That’s pretty clear, huh? These things Paul had just mentioned in the previous verses are going to go the way of the world. They will waste away.

This word is found in several other passages which help to clarify its meaning. In 1 Corinthians 15:42 we read, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;” In Galatians 6:8 it says, “For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”

So, today focus on what really matters – the eternal things. What are they? Salvation, God’s Word, Worshipping the Lord. Practice those things, not the worldly pursuits that will decay, rot and perish. God was and is and is to come.

O Lord, I give You praise for Your eternal presence in my life. Help me focus on the eternal today.