Unlike the pennies, pagers, and people of our world, the eternal truths of God’s Word never become obsolete.

Recently, the penny died. On Nov. 12, 2025, after 232 years of production, the United States Mint ceased producing the one-cent coin for circulation. Today, an estimated 300 billion pennies are in circulation—though most are rarely used. Most Americans just toss them in jars or drawers. According to one source, about 2 percent of Americans throw their pennies in the garbage.

The first pennies produced in the United States were huge—roughly the size of a half dollar. Over time, the composition of pennies changed dramatically to lower the cost of production. Recently, pennies were made primarily of zinc with only a thin coat of copper. Despite these cost-cutting measures, minting a penny still cost up to three cents—more than three times what the coin is worth.

Like landlines; typewriters; and the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog, pennies have become obsolete. Despite resistance from the state of Illinois—the Land of Lincoln—the penny has finally died an inglorious death and soon will fade into obscurity.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

The penny lasted generations, but like all good things, it has come to an end. That is the way of our ever-changing world. Steam locomotives, horse-drawn carriages, personal pagers, floppy disks—they all had their day in the sun and now are no more.

Nothing in this world lasts forever. Everything wears out and eventually becomes obsolete—even us. But unlike the pennies, pagers, and people of our world, the eternal truths of God’s Word never grow old. “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. . . . The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:6-8).

Though thousands of years old, God’s Word still has practical applications for our everyday lives. God’s promises continue to comfort and inspire in the face of our uniquely modern problems. The good news of the forgiveness Jesus won for us is as necessary now as it was two thousand years ago when Jesus died.

God’s Word is our comfort, guide, and help in our darkest days here on earth. But even more important, it leads us to Jesus and shows us the way to heaven through faith in him.

That is worth more than all the pennies in the world.

Author: Andrew Schroer
Volume 113, Number 08
Issue: August 2026
Photo: iStock