Father, thank You for motivating me to get through some filing today, as well as some prep for Sunday. I pray that I can find those things I seem to have stuck somewhere. Amen.

John 12:20-26 (<<click here to read the passage)

When I’m bored, I poke around on my phone and over time I have seen quite a few “this is where they are now” videos or slide shows of people who featured prominently on big and small screens at some point. And, from a worldly perspective, there are very few “happy endings”.

Especially child actors don’t seem to fair well. For a while, they are “all that” and the center of attention. But youth fades into adulthood and far too often the “cute” factor is no longer a factor. Off the top of my head, I can only think of a couple of them that went on to make something of themselves as time marched on.

Shirly Temple was Hollywood’s number one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. As an adult, she was named United States ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia and served as Chief of Protocol of the United States.

Kurt Russell and Ron Howard both found success in their youth. And both continue to make a name for themselves – Russel in front of and behind the camera. And since his Happy Days years, Howard has greatly impacted the big screen with several Academy and Golden Globe awards to his name.

I’m sure there are more, but of the thousands that have been in the industry there are far more who have crashed and burned, their lives ruined. And others…wisely bailed on the industry before their lives could be destroyed.

I don’t know the spiritual condition of the three souls I mentioned above, but Jesus clearly states in today’s passage,

Those who love their life in this world will lose it. v25a NLT

Unfortunately, many pursue the fullness of this life only to find that their pursuit comes to an abrupt halt. Dead-end routes are the norm, not the exception. Even those who “have it all” often find that there is no true satisfaction in it all. Many have taken their own lives, while the same could be said for others who allowed their obsession with drugs and alcohol and promiscuous lifestyles to bring their lives to an unexpected conclusion.

Those are the ways of the rich and famous…but minus the rich and famous part, are our lives really that much different? We work and work for some semblance of satisfaction and fulfillment only to often come to the end of our lives and ask, “Is that it? All that time, energy, and labor and that is all I ended up with?”

Jesus goes on to say in the rest of verse 25,

…but the one who hates his life in this world [and is concerned with pleasing God] will keep it for life eternal. AMP

Lord Jesus, help us to focus and apply our lives to take advantage of not just the here and now, but on the life to come. May we be people after Your own heart, seeking to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength – and in response, to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). Amen.

Aug 16th, 2021, Mon, 7:16 pm