Mid-Week Message - Eternity Versus Our Instant World

"Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.  They will perish, but you will remain; they will wear out like a garment.  You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end."  Psalm 102:25-27 (ESV)  

One of my favorite memories of childhood is homemade ice-cream.  If you have never been through the process of making it the old fashioned way, you have missed a lot of fun and a lot of anticipation.  You have also missed a sore arm from cranking the handle to keep everything churning.  Sometimes we thought it would take forever before all of the ingredients turned into that frozen concoction of wonderment.  But, as all things do, the work came to an end and we were able to enjoy our tasty treat.  

These days we are no long accustomed to long waits.  Fast food restaurants line the streets.  No matter what we are hungry for, we seem to be able to find a drive-through window that will allow us to have it within minutes.  Even when we do our cooking at home we have appliances like microwaves, pressure cookers, convection ovens and insta-pots that allow us to quickly prepare what previously would have taken much more time.  

We are now used to quick beginnings and quick endings.  Rather than having to read a book, we can have it read to us by an audio tape.  If we want to learn a new skill, we can turn on YouTube and find a range of videos that will instruct us.  We communicate via email and Facetime rather than waiting for letters to travel through the mail.  We are even able to keep in touch with family and friends. or connect with others who share our interests, via social media.  

With the rapidity of events in our lives, it can be difficult to comprehend the idea of eternity.  Everything in our lives on earth has a beginning and an end.  Our lives begin at conception and end in death.  That's how we perceive it.  However, scripture teaches that death is not an ending at all, rather it is a transition.  

We serve and were created by a God who has always been.  He did not have a beginning and He will not have an end.  Although we can't really conceive of that with our human minds, it is the truth.  He is not bound by the need that we have to accomplish everything quickly.  Time never ends for Him so He has no reason to worry about deadlines or boundaries.  He has unlimited time to do whatever He chooses to do.  This means that when He created you and me, He was not hurried but was able to take His time to knit each of our cells together.  

Personally, I find great comfort from knowing that my Creator literally had eternity to plan and form me.  Psalm 139:14 says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made."  He took great care in forming us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  He did so because He was preparing us to share eternity with Him.  When we transition from life on earth to life in Heaven, we move into the life that was always intended for us.  That is why it is imperative to protect our relationship with the Lord.  He is the only One who has known us from even before we came to be and the only One that has been with us every single second that we have drawn breath.  

His desire is for everyone to be with Him for eternity.  This was so important to Him that He sent Jesus to pay the debt of sin for us.  However, He also created us with free will.  He has given each of us the option of choosing the path we wish to take.  It is up to us to decide whether we want to walk the wide road, which leads away from Him, or the narrow road which leads to Him.  Shall we choose eternity with Him or without Him?  Just something to ponder on this week.  God bless.

Mid-Week Message - Expectations of Life

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  See his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil."  Proverbs 3:5-7  (NLT)

When we are young, we begin planning how we want our lives to go.  We start choosing which occupational path to choose, what type of person we think we want to marry, whether we want children or not.  And of course, in our minds, it all works out.  We sail through school and college, snag our desired job, have the perfect relationship and wonderful children who are well behaved and also sail through school and college and make the right life choices.  We live long, healthy lives and, when we are very old, pass away in our sleep, peacefully and quietly.  

Reality is quite different though, isn't it?  School may not go as well as we hoped.  Relationships come and go and our hearts are broken multiple times.  That chosen occupation may not work out.  We may find something we enjoy much more or, sadly, we may experience long times of unemployment while wondering how we are going to provide for ourselves.  Our children have minds of their own and go through their own personal struggles and often make wrong choices.  And our health surprises us by taking turns that we could never have expected.  

Life just doesn't follow our pre-laid out roads. There are so many variables that can alter our plans.  We encounter everything from small snags to great disasters.  Accidents, illness, divorce, layoffs, financial downturns and other incidents can create hardships that cause us to wonder what we did wrong.  However, gratefully, we also encounter great joys that fill our hearts and miracles that remind us that Someone else is in control and hasn't forgotten us.  These heavenly moments give us the strength to keep breathing. We are able to continue to put one foot in front of the other because we know that our Creator is still active in our lives and knows the way through whatever darkness we may be facing.

My favorite scripture is the second half of the 16th verse in Psalm 139.  There it says, "all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  Read that again.  Here we find the assurance that God is already aware of everything that we will face in life. He has already seen it and knows the outcome.  It is a reminder to stay close to Him because He is the one that knows the pathway we must walk.  He will be our guide.  As Psalm 119:105 says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."  He may only show us one step at a time, but He will see us to the end.  

For those who are going through any of life's struggles today, I want to remind you that you are loved with an everlasting love.  You are not alone, even if you feel that you are.  He was with you when your loved one passed away and He is with you now.  He knew when you would lose your job and how your needs will be provided for.  That errant child is also His child and He has plans for him or her that you may not be aware of but will lead them where they need to go.  He is the Great Physician who can heal all of your infirmities.  Your illness isn't a surprise to Him.  If you allow Him to, He will use even this for His glory.  

I have been told recently that I am sometimes too optimistic.  I assure you that I struggle too.  Some days are very difficult for me.  But my faith is secure.  I know that my Father in Heaven is on my side.  I trust that He was telling me the truth when He promised never to leave me.  If He loved me enough to send His son to die in my place, then He loves me enough to help me through whatever this day throws at me.  And He loves you every bit as much.  Rest in that.  God bless. 

Mid-Week Message - My Dreams Versus God's Plans

"This is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

My childhood was filled with stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and other wonderful tales that all had the same ending, "and they lived happily ever after."  Each of these characters had wishes that seemed unattainable, yet, in the end, they came true.  Either a fairy godmother worked her magic or a kiss from Prince Charming broke an evil spell.  However it came about, the same was true.  That girl's dreams became reality.  Of course, anything is possible in make believe.  Real life isn't always tied up with ribbons and bows though.   

 Somewhere along the way in my younger days, I came to believe that the dreams I had for my life came from God.  I thought,"Surely He wouldn't allow me to have a dream that He didn't intend to fulfill."  Needless to say, I had a lot to learn about my relationship with Him and about His purpose for me on this earth.  Even now, at an age that I certainly should know better, I still find myself realizing that dreams that I have held onto for decades just probably aren't going to come to fruition.  I shed a few tears over some of them then reluctantly relinquish them into the hands of the One who has much greater things in store.

As I examine some of the things I dreamed for, I am able to see how selfish they really were.  I wanted them simply because I wanted them.  It isn't that any of those things were bad, only that the only purpose they would serve would be my own.  I didn't figure eternity into them.  I never thought about how I could serve the Lord better through them.  I never even really asked Him about them.  They were lofty hopes that were mine.  All mine.  I just assumed that once they came about, my life would be complete.  

What happens when we spend so much time dreaming is that we run the risk of not seeing what God is actually doing in our lives.  When I stop to think about it, what gives me unspeakable joy is simply sharing the love of Christ with those around me.  When I keep my focus on Him and my mind in the present, then my eyes are opened to all the opportunities He gives me each day to reach out to friends, family, acquaintances and strangers with the love, encouragement and compassion that can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit.  None of the dreams that came from my own mind can even begin to compare with how content I feel when I simply do the work He sets in front of me to do.  

This world is temporary.  I could spend my limited time fulfilling my own desires, or I can go to Him each day and ask Him what He would like for me to do.  If He chooses to use one of my dreams for His purposes, then I will praise Him and ask Him to help me remember that it is for HIM and not for me.  And if He doesn't choose to, then I can know that it isn't because of any lack of love He has for me, but quite the opposite.  He loves me so much that He only wants the best for me while I walk this planet.  And, one day, I will be in Heaven which will be far beyond anything any human mind could ever dream of.  God bless.