Philippians 3:19. “Whose end is destruction, whose god is there belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” EARTHLY THINGS. Why can’t they understand? What is it about the earth? That appeals so much to some people They can’t see what has real worth. Is it a passing hunger – And they think they’re going to die? To live for what is put in the stomach, Surely isn’t the reason why They live lives that are so sensual With such a selfish attitude – Epicureanism is so shallow They have nothing when life is through.
Perhaps there is a deep-seated longing To know everything just a little bit. They want to taste the forbidden fruit Just because they have heard of it. When that sin has been tried – They must realize they’ve been deceived. It may be they wish they had died When that invitation they received, Because the results of that choice Has opened them up to deep grief.
They listened to the tempters voice; The pleasurable rush was very brief.
Earthly things are passed along From one unsatisfied person to another. Misery likes a lot of company Unhappy people want to gather together In dark places where it is easy to hide What is in a sinful heart And a taste of wrong comes to abide What they didn’t intend to start – And the consequences start to take their toll On what could have been a satisfying life. What started out full of potential Now ends in lasting strife.
When one’s mind is set on earthly things Usually there’s no turning back. Earthly things cannot satisfy The fundamentals such things lack. The heart of man can’t be satisfied With what I taste and see. God created us at the first in His image; He knows what He wants us to be. To trivialize a life’s potential By focusing on what earth brings, Is to waste what one really could be, On empty cisterns and poisoned springs.
Don’t be deceived, there is a better way God has intended for you. Stop and listen to what He says And you will learn before you are through That what makes a person fulfilled, And meaning in life can give – Comes not from surrounding earthly things But from God who can make you live In harmony with God and all His creation For He can satisfy the total person When one receives His great salvation.
"I have looked at remarkable things created by man’s wisdom, O God, and there is truly something lacking. People hop from one display to another trying to find something that will meet their expectations. They seem only to get a little bit here and a little bit there. ‘Satisfied with Thee, Lord Jesus, I am blessed.’ Amen.”
The "conversation" or citizenship of those who are aliens in this world involves our relationship with Christ and the interests of our heavenly Father. Our position in this citizenship is that of people whose home is in heaven, but we are here as a colony of heaven on earth. We obey the laws of the nation we live in and are subject to the government that has been "ordained by God." At the same time, we anxiously wait for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, to come. Our eyes are looking up as we crane our necks for the first sight of the Lord when He comes. Then these bodies of humiliation that so limit us in our lives and service for God, will be changed. No longer will they be subject to death and decay. No longer will there be the barriers of time and space. Our bodies will be suited to heavenly living. But for now: What interests do I promote? What country and citizenship do I represent?