The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“If the dead are not raised, let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

—1 Corinthians 15:32

We sometimes wonder at the fact that the world doesn’t live righteously according to God’s Word, but from their perspective, doing whatever feels good in this life makes sense. They might as well enjoy all the earthly things they can because they believe the good this world offers is the only good they will ever get.

If there’s nothing to come after death, why wouldn’t they pour all their efforts into attaining riches, pleasure, and happiness right now? Their chances to achieve these things and enjoy life decrease the longer they live. There’s no reason to do otherwise.

But as Christians, we know we will have eternal delight in the presence of the Lord with no more pain, tears, or sorrow (Revelation 21:4). We know that following the Lord, even where it means denying our earthly desires, brings us closer and closer to eternal happiness.

Instead of judging people for the lack of understanding that leads them to walk in the flesh, we should have compassion for their eternal souls and strive to show them truth so they can learn to seek the true, lasting pleasure of being in Christ.

One way we can do this is by living our lives in a way that shows our hope is not dependent on this world’s successes or pleasures. We can enjoy those things if we have them, but because of our eternal hope, we can live in contentment even if we don’t.

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