How thankful I am for corrective lenses. Without them I can only see clearly, things that are near – I am nearsighted. This same condition is used in a figurative way to illustrate another kind of “sight” problem. Peter wrote of those who are lacking in Christian graces and thereby see “only what is near” (2 Peter 1:9).
Many choose a lifestyle with no view of the future consequences. The majority of humanity choose to “enjoy the pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25). Yes, sin offers pleasure, and the Bible admits this truth. However, read that verse with its ending included. The “pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25). We are warned that sin’s enjoyment is short-lived. Sin may bring some pleasure, but it is fleeting.
Alcoholic wine does “sparkle in the cup” and “goeth down smoothly,” but “at the last it biteth like a serpent” (Proverbs 23:31-32). These verses contrast the immediate appeal with the eventual outcome.
When Asaph beheld the lifestyle of the wicked, he began to question his personal striving for purity of life. He noted how the wicked seemed “always at ease,” and “they increased in riches” (Psalm 73:12). It seems he was giving some consideration to giving up his dedication to righteousness (see verses 13-16). With a nearsighted view, things didn’t seem to be fair. “Until I went into the sanctuary of God, and considered their latter end” (Psalm 73:17). He was snapped back to reality when he considered “their latter end.” The wicked may seem to prosper, but there is a future payday.
I recently officiated at the funeral of a man who died from cancer. Before his passing, he was zealous to tell young folks about the danger of smoking (though by then it was too late for him). I have seen families torn apart because a married person chose the fleeting pleasure of being with someone who was not his or her mate. Others have enjoyed a “joy ride in a fast car” and paid with limb or life.
Moses wrote these valuable lines of a song: “Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!” (Deuteronomy 32:29). Dear reader, please be wise and consider the ending of the road you now travel. Stop and focus your vision down the road. Do you like what you see? For “godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).
