TalkingAboutJesus
Time to stand
Time to fall
Time to rise
Time to walk
Time to wait
Time to go
Time to pray
Time to follow
PAUL: The Apostle
Time for a poem, an excerpt from a Yancey book I'm reading
and something more on the subject from Stedman. Love 2U!
Eccl. 3:11
"(God) has set eternity in the human heart."
ETERNITY (Could It Be?)
God is holy perfect,
Could it be He knows
the beginning from the end
and everything in between?
God is all knowing,
Could it be He planned ahead
and put in order the perfect way
to rescue us from sin and death?
God is consistent order,
Could it be He understands
His purpose in our seeming chaos,
and ultimately everything is in His hands?
God is absolute love,
Could it be He always knew
long before the day you were born,
what it would take to save you?
J. E. Pollock
May 3 2013
The Bible Jesus Read
by Philip Yancey
Ecclesiastes endures as a work of great literature and a book of great truth because it presents both sides of life on this planet: the promise of pleasures so alluring that we may devote our lives to their pursuit, and then the haunting realization that these pleasures ultimately do not satisfy. God's tantalizing world is too big for us. Made for another home, made for eternity, we finally realize that nothing this side of timeless Paradise will quiet the rumors of discontent.
The Teacher completes his sentence: "He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." That is the point of Ecclesiastes in a nutshell. The same lesson Job learned in dust and ashes---that we humans cannot figure out life on our own---the Teacher learns in a robe and palace. In the end, the Teacher freely admits that life does not make sense outside of God and will never fully make sense because we are not God. As Kierkegaard remarked, "If a man's life is not to be dozed away in inactivity or wasted in bustling movement, there must be something higher which draws it."
In the Teacher's words,
As you do not know the
path of the wind, or
how the body is formed
in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand
the work of God, the
Maker of all things.
(11:5)
Unless we acknowledge our limitst and subject ourselves to God's rule, unless we trust the Giver of all good gifts, we will end up in a state of despair.
Ecclesiastes calls us to accept our status as creatures under the dominion of the Creator, something few of us do without a struggle.
Eternity On My Mind
by Ray Stedman
Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
The Searcher discovered three things. First, everything is appropriate and helpful to us, even those things that appear to be negative as well as positive. These are not curses and obstacles; they are God's blessings, deliberately provided by Him. Even our enemies are a blessing. Love your enemies, Jesus said, because they are valuable to you (Matthew 5:44). They do something for you that you desperately need. Our problem is that we have such a shallow concept of things, so we want everything to be smooth and pleasant. More than that, we want to be in charge, we want to limit the term of hurt or pain. But God will not allow us to take His place and be in charge.
The second thing the Searcher learned in his search is that there is a quality about life, about humanity, that can never be explained by the rationale of evolution. No animal is restless and dissatisfied when its physical needs have been met. Observe a well-fed dog sleeping before the fire on a cold day. It is with its family, enjoying itself, not worried about anything. A human in that same position will soon feel a sense of restlessness. There is something beyond, something more he or she is crying out for. This endless search for an answer beyond what we can feel or sense in our physical and emotional needs is what is called here eternity in man's heart. St. Augustine said, Thou has made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they learn to rest in Thee. People are the only worshiping animals. What makes them different cannot be explained by evolutionary procedure. They are different because they long for the face of God. C.S. Lewis said, Our Heavenly Father has provided many delightful inns for us along our journey, but he takes great care to see that we do not mistake any of them for home. There is a longing for home, there is a call deep in the human spirit for more than life can provide. This itch that we cannot scratch is part of God's plan.
The third thing that the Searcher learned is that mystery yet remains. We are growing in our knowledge, but we discover that the more we know, the more we realize we do not know. The increase of knowledge only increases the depth of wonder and delight. In the sovereign wisdom of God, we cannot solve all mysteries. As the apostle Paul put it, We see but a poor reflection as in a mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12); we are looking forward to the day when we shall see face to face.
We cannot know all the answers to all the conundrums and enigmas of life. That is why the exhortation of Scripture is always that we must trust the revelation of the Father's wisdom in areas we cannot understand. Jesus said over and over that the life of faith is like that of a child. Little children in their father's arms are unaware of many things that their father has learned. But, resting in their father's arms, they are quite content to let those enigmas unfold as they grow, trusting in the wisdom of their father. That is the life of faith, and that is what we are to do in our experience.
Thank You, Lord that You have placed eternity in my heart. Nothing can satisfy my deepest longings but You. Teach me to be content with simply resting in Your arms.
Life Application: What is it that clearly differentiates us humans from animals? Are we living in denial of that basic element, yet wondering why life seems meaningless?
From your friends at
www.RayStedman.org
GOD IN ME
God in me keeps movingGod in me knows the Way is HimselfHe won't stop until He's Lord of my lifeGod in me presses on to tomorrowGod in me proves the Truth is HimselfHe always does what is best for my soulGod in me longs to meet the new dayThe Lord Jesus Christ is Himself my peaceHe is the righteousness and joy of my heartGod will fulfill His wonderful purposeGod in heaven is faithful to His promiseHe will complete the work He began
" ... the word of God is alive and powerful. Hebrews 4:12GOD IS ALIVEGod is in this heart of mineGod is there all the time
God is a living-moving beingLiving Word inside of meGod is new every morningAs real as the sun and the moonGod is love that sets men freeWonderful, powerful truthGod is life to my eternal soulGod in Christ is trustworthy hope
God is maker and breaker of nations
Eternal Strength that has no weaknessGod is new every evening
As real as the stars in the skyGod is joy that makes hearts smileTrue Peace in Christ will never die
If you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ is Lord and believe
in your heart God raised him from the dead you will be saved.Romans 10:9
Comments
Post a Comment