Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 2:15-17
In November of 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh made its debut by broadcasting the results of the presidential election between Warren Harding and James Cox. It was the first commercial radio station in the country, and the new invention quickly spread. Before long, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) became one of the most valuable companies in the nation. In addition to manufacturing radios, RCA controlled broadcast companies and owned patents that other manufacturers had to pay to use. By September of 1929, RCA stock was selling on Wall Street for $568 per share. Then the stock market crashed. When the dust settled, the stock was worth just over $2 a share. It would take nearly forty years for the price to recover, and by then the company was primarily selling televisions, despite still carrying the radio name.
The things of this world may appear to have great and lasting value. Just nine days before the stock market crash began, noted economist Irving Fisher declared, “Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” The reality is that the things that this world values are temporary at best. Even when they appear to be solid and steady they are already in the process of decay.Â
If our lives are to have value, they must be invested in eternal things. If we love the things of this world, we will find that we have wasted our time and treasure. But if we love the things of God, we will spend our lives on things that truly matter and truly last.
