What vain toys!

(J. C. Philpot, "Daily Words for Zion's Wayfarers")

"This world is fading away, along with everything
 it craves! But the man who does the will of God
 lives forever." 1 John 2:17

Compared with spiritual and eternal blessings, we
see how vain and empty are all earthly things.

What vain toys!

What idle dreams!

What passing shadows!

We wonder at the folly of men in hunting after
such vain shows--and spending time, health,
money, and life itself, in a pursuit of nothing
but misery and destruction!

We care little for the opinion of men as to what
is good or great--but much for what God has
stamped His own approval upon, such as . . .
  a tender conscience,
  a broken heart,
  a contrite spirit,
  a humble mind,
  a separation from the world,
  a submission to His holy will,
  a meek endurance of the cross,
  a conformity to Christ's suffering image,
  and a living to God's glory.

"This world is fading away, along with everything
 it craves! But the man who does the will of God
 lives forever." 1 John 2:17