A Glimpse of Eternity

I have recently returned from a place that, prior to going, captivated my imagination in all its natural beauty. It is a place that is virtually untouched by urban development; a place that is hugely photographed and widely advertised. It is a place that exhibits natural wonder and beauty.

No specific photo can do this place justice. The true beauty, magnitude, grandeur and expanse of it all, simply cannot be grasped in one’s mind until it is personally experienced. The photos merely provide a glimpse of what is absolutely spectacular and breathtakingly magnificent. I recall on many occasions being lost for words – unable to express the overwhelming joy that filled my heart as I marvelled at the awesome handiwork of our Creator God. As I stood still for a moment – a mere fleck on the spectrum of the vast landscape above and below my feet, my mind was filled with verses of praise from the Bible.

      ‘I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High’ ~Psalm 9:1-2

I watched the sun slowly descend towards and dip below the horizon. Daylight lingers as if left behind. The rich, warm pastels stretch across the expanse of the vast desert landscape and up into the endless expanse. The clouds displayed a glowing vibrance as it locked in the rich golden tones emitted by the beaming ball of light on the horizon.

Uluru (Ayers Rock - NT) sunset

As the light of day fades, the vast, rich array of colours soften and deepen as ‘the sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night’ (Haruki Murakami).

 

One by one, the stars begin to peep through the darkness, and ‘…light the universe with their admonishing smile’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson). One ‘star’, in particular seems to beam its radiant light brighter than all the others – and it is first to appear in the nighttime sky. The evening star. Also the morning star. It is actually the planet Venus.

I lifted my eyes to the heavens. The beauty and exquisite detail of a sky luminous with more stars than I had ever seen before was breathtaking. Truly, 'no sight is more provocative of awe than the night sky' (Lleweyn Powys).

In that very moment I was overcome by God’s omnipotence (unlimited power), His omnipresence (present everywhere), His omniscience (infinite knowledge) and His omnibenevolence (perfect goodness). I was amazed at the thought that God placed them there with His hand, and knows ‘each (one) by name’! (Psalm 147:4)

      ‘He stretches out the heavens like a canopy… He brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing’ ~Isaiah 40 22b & 26.

It was a clear, moonless night, where urban air and light pollution ceased to exist. Clearly visible to the human eye was the hazy band of white light that characterises the ‘Milky Way’ – the galaxy in which our solar system is. From where we stand on earth, this dim glowing band resembled a luminous arch of cirrus cloud across the night sky.

Cirrus cloud

What makes it more amazing, more wonderful and more glorious is the fact that the glowing band is itself made up of thousands of stars in which the naked eye cannot distinguish individually. Of the 5,000 to 8,000 stars in the Milky Way visible to the human eye from Earth, one can usually only see about 2,500 at a time. In fact, the few thousand stars we can see of the Milky Way with our naked eye are only about 0.000003% of the 200-400 billion stars that inhabit the Milky Way! (universetoday.com) Wow… It is was and remains impossible for my finite mind to comprehend it, in its entirety.

I was conscious of the Bible verse, ‘Be still and know that I am God’ ~Psalm 46:10a (emphasis mine).

Know that God is the Creator of our universe (Genesis 1:1 & Revelation 4:11); that He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13). Know that He is our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Know that He is the Lord Almighty, the King of Glory (Psalm 24:10). Know this in your heart.

For a brief moment, I felt so small, so insignificant; a mere fleck, on this little blue planet that hangs (in space) on nothing (Job 26:7b), in this endless, boundless universe. “Who am I?” I thought.

      ‘When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?’ ~Psalm 8:3-4

I know full well, as the Bible tells me so that I am His. He is mine. We are His. He is ours.

He died for me and He died for you.

      ‘How mighty must He be who made the stars as ‘the work of (His) fingers’ (Psalm 8:3). How wise must He be who knows the number of each one (Psalm 147:4). How lofty must He be who humbles Himself to ‘look on the things that are in heaven’ (Psalm 113:6). Ah, but how loving must He be who came to this little orb and, on His way to the Cross... slept on… a hillside with the stars as His only canopy [see Matthew 8:20]’ (excerpt from Foreword written by J. B. Nicholson, Jr, taken from H. C. Howlett’s The Glories of Our Lord).

That still, quiet moment will forever be etched in my mind. It was a moment where I experienced the splendor and majesty of God on a profound scale; where I was filled with awe and overcome with immense love, joy, peace, gladness, stillness, gratitude and appreciation as I pondered the Glory of God and His goodness, graciousness, mercy and love. It is moments like these, when we are amazed by the natural wonder and beauty of God’s creation that I believe we get a glimpse of eternity.

‘For great is your love, reaching to the heavens, your faithfulness reaches to the skies’ ~Psalm 57:10. ‘How priceless is your unfailing love!’ ~Psalm 36:7.

 ‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ ~Romans 5:8.

The Lord tells us, ‘You are precious and honoured in my sight… I love you’ ~Isaiah 43:4a

If you were to count His thoughts towards you, ‘they would outnumber the grains of sand’. Psalm 139: 17-18

I love the words of a hymn I recently heard, written by Geron Davis:

I'm glad I know Who Jesus is!
I'm glad I know who Jesus is!
He's more than just a story;
He is the King of Glory.
I'm glad I know Who Jesus is.

He's the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End;
He's Counsellor, Deliverer to me.
He's the Everlasting Father; He is the King of Glory,
I'm glad I know Who Jesus is!


AMEN!

A Love Letter like no other

   'See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are! ...' ~1 John 3:1

   'Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God children born not of natural descent... but
born of God' ~John 1:12-13.

God changes us from the inside out: our heart is renewed and filled with God’s love and joy that overflows; and as our heart is changed, life has new purpose and direction.

   'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast' ~Ephesians 2:8-9.

God’s grace: His kindness, unmerited favour and forgiving love displayed ultimately by giving us Jesus, His only beloved Son, to die so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him, if we give Him our heart to change while here on earth.

What a comforting thought - to know that we are His little ones!

What lies within

What lies behind us and

What lies before us are tiny matters compared to

What lies within us.

 

~Ralph Waldorf Emerson

 

'You (O Lord) have filled my heart with great joy' ~Psalm 4:7a

Although at times interchangeably used, joy is something entirely different from happiness.

A dictionary definition of happiness is 'a state of well-being, a pleasurable or satisfying experience.' The definition of the word 'rejoice', from which our word 'joy' comes, is 'to feel great delight, to welcome or to be glad.'

Joy, in the Biblical context, is not an emotion. Joy is an attitude of the heart; it is not necessarily based on something positive happening. Joy is something that lasts; happiness is something that is temporary and fleeting. When happiness fades away, joy remains.

Joy is something that is bigger than you and I and our current circumstances. Joy brings us peace in the middle of a storm of life. Joy is what God deposits into us when we accept Jesus into our heart, and entrust Him with our life.

Satan tries everything in his power to drown and steal our joy because joy allows us to view and perceive the storms of life with a different perspective. Joy changes our mindset in the face of adversity.

'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose' ~Romans 8:28.

Happiness tends to be fleeting and depends upon temporal factors like circumstances or other people. Joy is true contentment that comes from within. It is internal - the inner attitude of rejoicing in one’s salvation regardless of outward circumstances. It is one of the fruits of a right relationship with God.

  'We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts...' ~Romans 5:2b-5; (Hope in this context is not to be equated with unfounded optimism - it is the assurance of a future with Him in eternity).

The enemy goes about attempting to steal our joy deviously. He provides temptation in things that will temporarily bring happiness, and when acted upon, causes clouds of shame, regret and disappointment to creep in; that he increases, plays on and rejoices in seeing the suffering of consequences. As a result, one's joy is dampened.

'Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life' ~Proverbs 4:23

The heart is at the centre of us, from which spring emotions, thought, motivations, courage, action - it is 'the wellspring of life'.

     'For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks' ~Luke 6:45

What we hide in our heart and what we keep close to our heart is that which our mouth speaks, and that which our life displays:

    'As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man' ~Proverbs 27:19.

Joy is a beautiful thing. True joy is eternal and its source is your relationship with Jesus in knowing, accepting and appreciating that we have been saved from the inevitable agony of eternity in hell for rejecting Him; and thus living our lives accordingly, following what is written in the Bible - not just that, but LOVING and ENJOYING doing so.

He suffered so that we have the choice to choose Him and be spared from suffering in hell for eternity.


LORD Jesus, teach us to enjoy YOU, and revel in Your wonderful gift of salvation, even when difficulty surrounds us and times of trouble overwhelm us. Infiltrate your joy, O Lord, to the deepest part of our heart; may we treasure it and guard it; that our lives might be a celebration of your grace in giving us Christ Jesus.


Amen.

I know who holds my hand

I don't know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what lies ahead.

Every step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden's getting lighter,
Every cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky.

I don't know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood.

 

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand...

 

'For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, "Do not fear; I will help you"' ~Isaiah 41:13

 

'So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand' ~Isaiah 41:10

 

'Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, simply trust and obey' ~John H. Sammis, 1887
 

The words of this hymn speak profound words:

just trust Him and do as His Word instructs us to do.

God knows what is best for us because He made us!

The Bible is an Owner's manual for life.

 

As the Psalmist David testified:

'O Lord Almighty, blessed is the [one] who trusts in you' ~Psalm 84:12

Stand firm

On more than one occasion in my life, I've thought how I wish I could take that back; if I had my time again, I'd do it differently...

 

One of the biggest ways that Satan tries to get at us is with regret. He enjoys throwing our wrongdoings and mistakes back in our face; he enjoys seeing us stew in disappointment and shame.

God warns us against this, as we read in the Bible from 1 Peter 5:8 to

             'be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.'

 

The truth is we aren't perfect, in fact far from it. 'We all stumble in many ways' James 3:2. We have made and will continue to make mistakes and fall short. Satan loves it.
      '...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...' Romans 3:23

What does it mean to fall short? It means that we come up short. We, in our imperfect human state are deficient, destitute and lacking in giving God glory; giving Him the honour, praise, worship, eminence and acclamation in and through our lives, that He deserves and is rightfully due.

Through His deep love, He opened up a way for us to be able to praise and glorify Him now, and forever in eternity when our short life here on earth fades away. He did this by giving us Jesus - a little bundle of joy destined for such despair and agony in suffering the most harrowing death, for us, so that we may have the opportunity to choose, and do so, to trust and follow Him, and thus be restored to give God glory, and ultimately spared from indescribable suffering in eternity.

But when we do 'fall' and make a mistake, it is assuring to know that 'if we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' 1 John 1:9. 

'Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe' ~Romans 3:22.

Righteousness is equity of character; that which is established through a renewed heart, by seeking to follow and implicitly trust God with all things in your life. Knowing that He is in control and that your life just isn't floating by the way side, doesn't go with the tide and buffeted by the wind brings reassurance and peace.

'The fruit [or product] of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever' ~Isaiah 32:17. Confidence in being sure that God is sovereign, He is in control and '"...know[s] the plans [He has] for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"' ~Jeremiah 29:11.

Yes, there will be times when anxiety, doubt and fear creep in. We need to 'cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you' ~1 Peter 5:7.

It is during these times of anxiety that our guard in down, and we are more susceptible to believe and buy into the lies the devil.

     'Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.' (5:8)

The passage continues, and encourages us to 'resist him [the adversary], (by) standing firm in the faith...' v9. In faith we 'submit [ourselves] to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you' ~James 4:7

'Standing firm' means rather than attempting to resist in our own strength (in which will ultimately fail in the end); remain solid, strong, steadfast and sure in the power and sovereignty of God to bring us through and grow in our hearts to do what is right, according to His Word (the Bible).
 

      Praise be to God that He is great, He is awesome; He is loving, forgiving, merciful and full of grace. This fills me with abounding joy and immeasurable love and thankfulness.

      'Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness' Psalm 115:1.

 

With God, when you trust in Him, he doesn't keep score of past wrongdoings, like the adversary does; he writes truth on our hearts, loves us unconditionally, fills us with abounding joy, and a peace that cannot be explained.

In life, you cannot recover:

a STONE after it's thrown,
TRUST after it's betrayed,
the WORD after it’s said,

the MOMENT after it’s missed and

the TIME after it’s gone...

 

~ Unknown

 

Oh Lord, 'teach us to number our days aright, that we may harvest a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days' ~Psalm 90:12-13.

 

Amen.

You are our hope

 

Father in Heaven,

 

Father your love, your grace and your mercy are unconditional and unchanging.

In my imperfect human form, I am not capable of loving you in the capacity that I so desperately desire to.

My heart is simply not big enough to love you like I want to.

You gave everything that you had - your most precious and only Son.

Precious Lord I thank thee.

 

Life is like a camera!

'Life is like a camera -
just focus on what's important
and capture the good times,
develop from the negatives,
and if things don't work out,
take another shot'

 

~ Unknown