The Fading Glory of Man

The fashion of this world passeth away. —1 Corinthians 7:31

With the hoop-la and hype about the Oscars this weekend, I wondered why the world makes such a big deal over something that really matters so little. “Surely every man walketh in a vain shew…” (Ps. 39:6). I think actress Sally Field said it best when she received her first Oscar for her role in 1979’s Norma Rae— “What does the Academy Award mean? I don’t think it means much of anything.” Amen, Sally!

Truly, “all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away” (1 Peter 1:24). Who will care 10 years from now who won an Oscar this year?

The awards that will matter in eternity will be those trophies awarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Thess. 2:19-20). The “Oscar” I want is the one given to those who “press toward the mark for the PRIZE of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:14).