LifeLink Devotions for Tuesday, March 18, 2025

2 Corinthians 4:17-18  “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

I’ve been thinking about priorities.  I want to know which ones are draining me rather than fulfilling Christ’s purpose in me. As I started my review I came across a story from  Gordon MacDonald.

“In ancient days when the king of Siam had an enemy he wanted to torment and destroy, he would send that enemy a unique gift, a white elephant, a live, albino elephant. These animals were considered sacred in the culture of that day. So the recipient of that elephant had no choice but to intentionally care for the gift. This elephant would take an inordinate amount of the enemy’s time, resources, energy, emotions, and finances. Over time the enemy would destroy himself because of the extremely burdensome process of caring for the gift.

“Our spiritual enemy uses the same strategy on us …. Let’s say you are able to buy Packer season tickets, but because you now have a lot of games to go to, you no longer have time to serve in some area of ministry. Or let’s say you buy a summer cottage, but now you miss most weekend worship services between the beginning of May and the end of September. Or let’s say you buy a health club membership to get in shape. You used to get up early in the morning to read your Bible and pray, but now you don’t have time because you’re working out before you go to work. Or let’s say you approve a spot for one of your kids on a traveling sports team, and now you’re too busy to join the fellowship of Christ’s Body the church in attendance or in ministry

“Are there white elephants in your life? Are you spending money on things that take your time away from God? The money isn’t the problem; the activities aren’t necessarily the problem; the problem is a white elephant “gift” that has pulled you away from God-honoring pursuits.”

None of the above mentioned “gifts” are inherently wrong. However, they can become destructive to what Jesus calls “abundant life” when they take up so much of our time, resources and energy that we use them as excuses to justify our lack of involvement in Christ’s purpose for us. We have redefined the abundant life in terms of wealth, opportunity, and fun, not only for ourselves but for our families as well.

Today let’s make it our priority to not place value in the white elephants that have been given to us. Life is filled with options, but just because they exist doesn’t mean they are good for us. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit we will become discerning about which opportunities are for God’s glory and not our own fulfillment. We will place value on eternal things, and center our life, our decisions, our resources, and our energies on what Christ says are of value to Him.

There is an old chorus we used to sing in church when I was a kid. The lyrics are my prayer for today:

With eternity’s values in view, Lord.
With eternity’s values in view;
May I do each day’s work for Jesus
With eternity’s values in view.

Pastor John