Living Shortsighted – Jeremiah 5:30-31

“An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?”

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We simply tend to be shortsighted don’t we? Living day to day according to our own desires. Hearing what we want to hear from those who say what we want them to say – even in our faith. We follow those who have no desire for truth and speak only what pleases us and themselves. These religious leaders truly have no desire for truth. They rule their flock by their own authority. By rules they have ‘interpreted’ and apply as they see fit. Not only in matters of faith either. Our unbelieving culture has these same ‘priests’ if you will. They have established their own authority to speak truth as they decide in accordance with their own wants and needs. It all seems so good. So easy. So smooth. People really do love it. God’s prophet spoke so long ago and yet describes us today.

As God in His justice will have it, a day of reckoning will come. It must. There will be an end of all things here in this temporary existence. It is a necessity for the sake of justice. Evil will be punished. Selfishness will be addressed. There will be sadness and loss. What will we do at the end of it?

The end never justifies the means of our lives and this is no exception. If we live as if God has not spoken now then He will allow us to live as if He has never spoken into eternity. He respects our choices even when they are to our detriment.

Today, if we will hear His voice, the One with true authority who speaks truth without reserve, and not harden our hearts, then the end will be much more bearable. Today is the day of salvation for it is all we have – until the end. And when the end comes, much of what we have made room for today will be destroyed.

It has been said that the intelligent person figures out what happens at the end of the story and then lives their life backwards in light of that truth. He or she sees how things end and makes daily decisions in light of this fact. The end defines the means, if you will.

For those who are ignoring God’s voice, the end will be surprising and painful. For those who are acknowledging His Son, the end will be only the beginning of the rest of eternity in His presence. Nothing we are enjoying here at whatever expense holds any value, any joy, any pleasure that even begins to compare to the true joy and pleasure to be found in the unhindered presence of God for eternity. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, we are so shortsighted – like pigs enjoying slop in the mud at the expense of an endless summer vacation with all the amenities.