Yesterday, Today, and Forever
Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1:21-25
The grass withers, and the flowers fall away. But the word of the Lord will last forever. 1 Peter 1:24-25
As Danielle’s dad pulled their family van to a stop in Sequoia National Park, she jumped out and hugged one of the biggest of the giant trees. She was sure that it stretched to the top of the sky.
Danielle’s mom did some quick math. “It would take thirty of you to reach around that tree,” she said. “And about thirty of you stacked on top of each other to reach the top. My book says that tree is almost four thousand years old. It may be one of the oldest living things on earth.”
We’ve all seen grass turn brown in the heat of summer. The other plants in your backyard might be a few seasons old—or they may have lived for a few decades. Yet there’s a good chance they will die before you do, grown ragged with old age or eaten up by bugs or blown over by storms. A forest of giant sequoias seems as endless as anything.
Even the long life of those great trees, however, is nothing compared to the span of time God’s Word will be around. God’s Word, in fact, is the oldest thing we know. And it will last longer than anything else.
How do we know this? The Bible says, “In the beginning the Word already existed” (John 1:1). God’s Word was here before anything. It’s true that God’s written Word has only been around since the Bible first appeared on scrolls several thousand years ago. But God’s living Word has always been around, because Jesus Christ is “the Word” who has always existed. And not only do God and his Word have no beginning, but they will have no end. Like today’s Bible verse says, “The word of the Lord will last forever” (1 Peter 1:25).
It’s true that even though you might pass your Bible on to your grandchildren someday, that book will eventually fall apart and turn to dust. However, the message written in those pages—the Good News about Christ—will stick around beyond the end of time. Like God himself, his Word is eternal.
God’s Word was changing lives and healing hearts for thousands of years before you were born, and it will be here long after you leave Planet Earth. God has given us his Word, and it will always be the right answer for all the big questions of life.
TALK: God loves you so much that he made sure you would have his Word today. How does that make you feel?
PRAY: Tell God now how you want to respond to his eternal Word.
ACT: Make today’s Bible verse endure in your brain. Memorize it!