Yesterday, the lesson for my Awana students was about Eternity. We talked about sand castles on the beach erased by the waves as the tide comes in an illustration of the impermanence of life in this world. I spoke of the hope we find in God’s love guiding us through our days so we are ready to step into eternity. Heavy stuff for 5th and 6th graders, isn’t it? That lesson was brought into sharp focus when I, on the way home, went to the home of an older woman from the church to check on her and found that she had stepped into eternity some days previous. Do you consider Eternity, my friend?
Pondering the brevity of life and recognizing the shifting
sands of our existence we could fall into despair!
Or, we could take the way of those who choose to ‘eat, drink, and be merry
for tomorrow we die.’
Solomon’s Ecclesiastes can be a difficult part of
Scripture to understand. That rich king forgot eternity and made life about
building great cities, gaining great wealth, and indulging every sensual
pleasure. When advancing age no longer allowed him to ignore mortality,
he looked at his life and saw only emptiness. "When I surveyed all that
my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless,
a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun."
(Ecclesiastes 2:11, NIV)
He did not suggest that we defer all living to some time beyond our present world. That famous part of his book says "There is a time for
everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."
(Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV) Yes, we can find joy in our successes, in family,
in accomplishments great and small – and we should.
But, his conclusion
is great wisdom. "Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget
your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy
living. … Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this
is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including
every secret thing, whether good or bad." (Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13-14,
NLT)
Christian, as we conclude the season of Lent, a time of
reflection in our lives, we begin to look toward the empty Tomb and the bedrock
hope assured by the Resurrection of Christ Jesus, our Lord. This is the
great hope of life. We enjoy the best life possible in this temporal
world when we live in the light of Eternity, our choices framed by the fact
that these brief years will be followed by a timeless existence in the Presence
of God.
A Christianity that remembers Heaven and Eternity will be richer, right
now in this world! Paul writes "if we have hope in Christ only for this
life, we are the most miserable people in the world. But the fact is that Christ
has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of
those who will be raised to life again." (1 Corinthians 15:19-20, NLT)
Are you tempted by despair as you realize just how quickly life is passing?
Are you tempted to try to create immortality with grand schemes?
Choose instead to know, love, and serve Christ Jesus who is
the proof of Eternity, Who has opened the way from death to life. Receive
the gift of eternal life and make His Way your way today.
The word from the Word encourages us. We can live as eternal creatures, entering into life without end – even now in this world that is passing away. That’s no riddle. It is a fact! "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Corinthians 15:55-58, NLT)
(Video of this blog at this link)
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Be Thou My Vision (Slane)
(Selah sings this beautiful, heart-felt prayer. Pray along with their song)
Be Thou my vision
O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought
By day or by night
Waking or sleeping
Thy presence my light
Be Thou my wisdom
Be Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee
And Thou with me Lord
Thou my great Father
I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling
And I with Thee one
High King of heaven
When vict'ry is won
May I reach heaven's joys
O bright heaven's Sun
Heart of my own heart
Whatever befall
Still be my vision
O Ruler of all
Eleanor Henrietta Hull | Mary Elizabeth Byrne
© Words: Public Domain
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