Tag: eternity

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Wisdom availability.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice! On the hilltop along the road, she takes her stand at the crossroads. By the gates at the entrance to the town, on the road leading in, she cries aloud. Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In ancient times, Solomon writes about the access that normal, average folks have to wisdom. Notice the availability isn’t just to kings in castles, lawyers in court, or priests in the temple. No! Wisdom sets up her connection points in the places where everyone can hear her. And she shouts it out, making it available to everyone who hears.

Whether it’s on the hilltop, where the more privileged may live, or at the crossroads where businesses would often set up booths, capturing the natural flow of foot traffic. Wisdom even sets up to give out her advice and life-hacks at the gates, where major legal transactions took place, and men would discuss politics and economics of the day.

It’s not like wisdom is hidden. It’s not like wisdom is locked behind a security case. It’s not like it’s too expensive for some to gain. Wisdom is out and available to all, out and among the crowds, where the public can see and hear her.

It helps me realize, that wisdom being the personification of Jesus, means that God is not hiding. God is not unaffordable. God is not beyond accessible! Not only is God watching out for us, but like Solomon says, He calls out to all people from all the places we gather.

God is pursuing us! I think about this miracle when I recognized His voice at fifteen because it sounded so familiar. God had been there all along. I also think about the fact that God is doing the same with every person I see. With wisdom, God is calling out on the hilltops, crossroads, water coolers, coffee shops and courthouses! He calls for everyone. When I begin a conversation with someone, It helps to remember – God knows them, loves them and has been calling out to them their whole life! I just need to join with God, as He directs and watch Him do all the work. God handles the whole transaction of issuing life, real life – eternal life.

Prayer

Dad,
When I heard you calling out to me, it was amazing. My life was on an awful, tragic trajectory. After simply saying yes and giving my whole life to you, You began to teach me how to live. I began to read and learn about wisdom, discipline and faith. I heard wisdom calling out and I answered. Thank you!

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The gift of God’s liberator.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Story of God has always been about making promises and His ability to keep them. From the very beginning, God promised that He would personally repair and restore the breach that humans made and He has consistently done that ever since creation began.

Isaiah is filled with future-casting the Messiah, the savior, the liberator for humankind. These particular prophetic-promises come into view at two very popular holiday seasons: Christmas and Easter, winter and spring. This spring, 2024, our world is experiencing enormous chaos. We have a two global conflicts or wars simultaneously happening. One in the Ukraine, the other in Israel. Russia, wanting to reclaim Ukraine, invaded the country in February, 2022 and it continues on today. Hamas, a terrorist organization, invaded Israel in October 2023 and it also continues on today. Plus, the always struggling nation of Haiti has recently been taken over by Haitian Gangs, who closed the entire country! On top of all that, the U.S. is heading towards yet another highly divided presidential election in just a few months and we are still trying to climb out of the effects of the 2020 pandemic. Nothing is the same and no one has any idea what the future holds for our world in crisis.

Celebrating Resurrection Sunday this year in the United States, means doing so with a massive exodus of those who have left the Church because of “church hurts,” or “deconstruction” of their faith. God knew there would be cycles of darkness and deep disturbances in human affairs. When the promise of the Messiah arrived at the turn of the calendar from B.C. (Before Christ) to A.D. (Anno Domini), it was very tumultuous. And, by the time Jesus became of age to officially become a Rabbi in the Jewish faith, Rome had bullied their way into what the citizens considered to be peace (Pax Romana).

The cost for peace was enormous and the social, religious experiment of a pan-theistic belief system was constantly on the brink of revolt. The Jews were itching for a champion, a warrior like King David to reclaim their country and God-given right to their own land and way of life. Even the early church, completely believed in Jesus’ resurrection, but persecution and mayhem was so horrific they also believed He was returning soon!

Our world has gone through many cycles of desperate despair to the exhilaration of hope that the end has come! We are in another cycle right now! Yet, with each plunge into apparent chaos, there is simultaneously a search for God, for meaning, even for eternity. That time is now! The story of God’s liberation and promise-keeping ability gives us hope. We may all be in a perpetual, even cyclical Good Friday, but God always has a glorious resurrection Sunday coming. Behold God comes… always… to make all things new!

Prayer

Dad.
Our lives may be filled with trauma-troughs, ruts and pits of pain, sin and suffering, but even then You are with us. And, in each and every dark moment, or sunless season, you bring peace and comfort to our hearts. Thou art with me! Even in those down-cycles of fear and the unknown, you can lift me out of the depressions of what is seen all around me to the vistas of your view, your perspective and your plans. Thank you God, for you are my refuge and my hope.

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Eliminate the middleman.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

”But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”‭‭ Hebrews‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The author of Hebrews does a deep drive into the efficacy (effectiveness) of Jesus as our High Priest. Don’t let that phrase “high priest” freak you out. If you’ve not been raised in Church or in Catholicism, this phrase may sound like a lyric-line out of a heavy metal band. A priest was just a designated male given the responsibility of being a “go between,” a mediator between God and human beings. The High Priest had special and enormous responsibility of being in a very sacred place called the Holy Holies in the tabernacle (God tent), then later the Temple (God’s temporary place to visit). Let’s just say that the priest and High Priest had very specific religious responsibilities that God setup to help Israel keep His laws. And, when those laws were broken, aka, sin – there were specific rules to rectifying those sins.

When Jesus was born, lived and gave his life on the cross, He not only fulfilled the Old Testament rules of rectifying everyone’s sin, Jesus also was the final High Priest, eliminating any need for anyone to fulfill that role ever again. In short, Jesus cut out the middleman between God and humans!

In these amazing couple of verses, Hebrews goes even further, describing the way God would interact with ALL HUMANS. God put His laws, His rules in the minds and hearts of every single human! There will be no need for a “go between,” a negotiator or mediator ever again. Boldly, Hebrews declares, in reality, no one will need to say, “you should know the Lord.” EVERYONE will already know Him. Why? Because God put himself in every human heart, His Spirit whispers to the deep recesses of who we are. Ecclesiastes 3:11 hinted at it thousands of years ago, God “set eternity in the hearts of humans.

These verses do not mean we have no need for people gifted at teaching the Bible, but rather there is no need for ANYONE to play middleman to God. God can and does a fantastic job consistently and constantly pursuing the hearts of our friends, our family members. God is working all the time, wooing the hearts of human beings all over the globe, regardless of their culture, religion, or beliefs. God, being creator of ALL things means it’s His rules, His ways. Does that mean we don’t need to tell others about Jesus, the gospel – God’s rescue plan for us? No, not at all. We absolutely need to live, love and share about the things of God. Followers of Jesus should always be telling of God’s grace and how it works in our own life. We should also be behaving just like Jesus did, in the way He treated others. Hebrews point is that our words and behaviors, even invitations to confess, believe and follow Jesus will be done in such a way as to match the conversations, convictions and circumstances that God has already been doing in their life.

The Holy Spirit has and will do all the work revealing God, our job just becomes a confirmation and connection with other believers. We say it often, but I’m not sure we really believe it, we don’t “save” anyone! Jesus saves, redeems, restores and converts! I am thankful that I am not and you are not anyone’s priest, let alone their High Priest. That’s Jesus job and He’s already done it. When we are kind, loving and helpful – we are reminding folks of their deep connection with God. When we pray with someone it is a huge confirmation that they are not alone and that God sees and knows them. Simple, right?

Prayer

Dad,
What a relief! I could not pull off the responsibility of being a priest, or any semblance of perfection – that’s all on you. I’m just a sinner, a lost and hungry soul pointing to where another might find bread! Thank you for your grace. Thank you for putting eternity in our hearts. Thank you for the whispers and still small voice of love, correction and discipline you bring into my life and every other life who will listen.

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Consider God’s thoughts.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The most spectacular verses written by David. David records this prayer after being made king over all Israel in 1 Chronicles 13. The celebration was huge! But more than that, David made his first kingly decree, “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.” David invites the physical presence of God, represented in the Ark of the Covenant. It’s within the context of this moment, filled with joy and overwhelming emotions and the culmination of years of promise that led to that moment. It’s in those moments David writes this beautiful prayer.

The span of our human life – God sees it, saw it all before time even began. This is powerfully sacred! Have you thought about how God knows each one of us? How God sees us, individually? And what are God’s thoughts towards us, towards you? David is love-struck knowing that God’s thoughts towards him are precious and numerous. How can this be? How does that work? How is it possible? Never mind the mysterious details! Just grab that idea for a moment. God’s thoughts for you are precious and innumerable. Read Psalm 139:1-6.

We only have capacity to review our past and ponder our history. When and where we were born, thinking about our parents and our circumstances of growing up. We can only remember up to yesterday or the moment before this one. God’s thoughts, go out ahead of our life, beyond today. His thoughts go out to tomorrow and beyond the end of our life. God knows when and how we will come to the end of our life here! But even then, His thoughts continue towards us on throughout eternity. We have to admit along with David, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” Yes, too great to understand. Yet we can know that it is true and God is trustworthy!

Prayer

Dad,
Thinking about you, thinking about me is wonderfully overwhelming! How could I possibly grasp all that means? I can believe it. I can accept it as true. And, like David and trillions of other souls that exist, I can reflect on that fact that you know me intimately and love me completely.

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Some things you just never forget.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

King David, former shepherd, former Saul’s melody-muse, former man-on-the-run, reflects on his past as much as he does his future. From humble fields to giant-killer fame, to promised heir-apparent, David lived the full gamut of a colorful life. But in those bold snapshots of highs and lows there is a common theme – he always loved God and wanted to please him.

From his confident bravado on the battlefield, and awkward patience waiting for Saul to die a natural death. His rise to power, and then colossal failure as a man, a husband and leader. He always held onto his relationship with God. It’s admirable to understand that God wanted us to know so much about this man. It feels so authentic to see the circuitous paths it took to get David to be a “man after God’s heart,” and be able to judge his behaviors thousands of years later.

This psalm, in the book of Psalms, was inserted towards the end of David’s life. It reminds me of this struggle to be a faulty human AND be good. Not just momentarily human or situationally good, but to be both over a lifetime. Who really can judge us properly? Who can see the totality of earnest desire to be pure, to be good, yet consistently fail at it. What small slice would be observed in my life, or yours? The good slice of a worthy moment, where I served, loved and chose well? Or the humiliating one, where I selfishly or angrily lost my sense of perspective and choose poorly? Which moment would I chose to be remembered by, judged by? The good of course!

David’s prayer encourages me to keep choosing to believe, to pray like this psalm, “teach me, grant me purity of heart… so that I may honor God.” I too must hold on to the moments God rescued me, saved me. But I must also hold on to the moments where I made good choices, not bad. Moments where I pursued God, not failed him. So that I can also praise God will ALL my heart.

Prayer

Dad,
To be human means that I carry both memories of wretched failure and soaring sainthood. Through all the moments of highs and lows, you were always there. Whether proud or patient, you saw it all. In fact you see the beginning, the present and tomorrow all in an eternal moment of now! You see my choices tomorrow and how my life here eventually comes to an end. After all that is sorted, I hope you know that I do love you and I am so very grateful for everything you’ve done in my life. Your mercy and kindness to me has been overwhelming and unending. Thank you.

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The Apostle Paul goes deep.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭24‬-‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul goes super deep, far more than just six feet under! In written, warp-speed, he goes from the most eloquent, beautiful description of love in chapter 13, to the incredibly complex conversation about what happens to us after death!

The Corinth church was asking for some hard proof and details about what physically happens to our bodies after we die. He starts off very practical about the facts Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead – there were witnesses! He concludes with one of the more favorite apologetic arguments: “And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.” ‭‭1 Cor.‬ ‭15‬:‭19‬. Then moves towards answering their other questions – “but how Paul? How does this all work?

This mix of spiritual discussion with physical object lessons is so deep, the Holy Spirit had definitely been guiding his thoughts and answering his own questions while he was experiencing his club-pen time in prison. In later verses, Paul asks the questions for them, “But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” ‭‭1 Cor. 15‬:‭35‬. He writes, “that’s a foolish question!” But is it?

Paul clearly articulates that we are living in two worlds at the same time and seem to be completely ignorant of one of them. We have a very physical world and we also have a very spiritual world. Both are real, but one is but a dim reflection, a blurry representation of the other. The spiritual world is the real, solid and clear one – we live on and in the dim darkness of this planet. C.S. Lewis called this place, “The silent planet,” written in 1938, one of his famous space trilogy of books, Out of the Silent Planet.

In conclusion, Paul then writes about the end of all things. The end, in this context is about Christ destroying death, not in his own physical body a couple millennia ago, but in ours – humans. Paul’s take on the end times – Christ will reign until he humbles all his enemies! We know Christ’s enemy, that would be Satan. We know what the plurality (enemies) mean, and all the fallen angels that chose to rebel against God. The saddest part, is that we know there will be humans that choose to join Satan and the fallen angels in this rebellion. They will know God and God’s plan, yet still choose to rebel, choose to join the lie. Why? Their hope, unlike Satan or the dark angel’s, is that they “might” just get to spend eternity just doing their own thing, especially without God. There is no such hope in the enemy nor his evil horde – for they know it will not work. The enemy’s plan is just to take as many as possible with them to lash out at God. This is the reality of our long war and the tragedy of loss that is at stake in our spiritual and very much physical existence.

Prayer

Dad,
What an epic war, a war to usurp and eclipse all other wars. This life, this existence on our planet is just a tiny fraction of what exists in other physical worlds. Science searches for life somewhere out there in the vast universes and galaxies of outer space. And the only reason they search the heavens is they cannot believe we are alone. They cannot come to terms that we may be the only physical expression of life or humanity. We may or may not be the only ones. Or, we may be the only silent planet, the dark planet of created beings that are fallen, broken and filled with rebellion and sin. This is so wild to think about. Paul seems to go all “sci-fi” for a moment with the Corinthian churches. I love it! I know you are both my entire physical and spiritual reality. I chose you and have decided not to rebel, but to repent! I chose to spend my life here, and in all of eternity, with you.

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God’s axe to grind.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Matthew let’s us know that John the Baptizer and the teachers of the law and ruling class of religious leaders over the Jews did NOT get along nor see eye to eye. So much for being on the same team, right? Why didn’t they like each other, where’s the love and unity here? John had a quick nickname for them – snake broods. Or offspring of snakes.

Interesting that later on Jesus told the religious leaders that they were in fact the kin of their father, the “father” of lies (John 8:44), tying our thoughts to the original garden scene where Satan is the deceiving snake who temps the couple into disbelieving God.

Shocker, these religious leaders were not on the God-squad at all. They were working and cheering for the wrong team. John says, “who warned you?” Had they been listening to John’s messages? Had they been baptized, showing repentance for their sins? Then John says something that Jesus picks up and repeats later in Luke 6:46. John, “prove it by the way you live!” John also drops the good-fruit bearing tree analogy, which Jesus also talks about later in Matthew 7:18, and 12:33.

Does John quote the religious leaders when they were saying, “we’re safe?” Safe from what? Judgment? Eternal fire (Gehenna) or hell? But they were NOT safe, were they? The axe God was grinding was from this very old imagery when God actually did chop down the tree representing Israel many times in the past, but always left the root of the symbolic tree in tact. God spared the “root of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:10).

Jesus is that root and any life, any fruit that would come from that “tree of life,” would live and continue to produce good fruit. However, any branch that did not come from this root, this Jesus’ tree would be SEVERED from its root and thrown into the fire. It’s story, it’s lineage, it’s legacy would not continue. John’s symbol of an axe, is God’s axe of judgment, of finality, the end of Satan’s seeds of lies growing sickly trees filled with rotten fruit. John saw all of this as the religious pretenders walked up as looky-loos wanting the crowds to see that they were on God’s team as well. But they weren’t.

Prayer

Dad,
The last thing I would ever want is to be a pretentious pretender, faking my life, my faith and my behaviors to impress everyone. I’m in this for the relationship with you. I’m in this for life, for eternity. My past and my “good deeds,” are not all that impressive when compared to your grace and glory. I do want to be a contender NOT a pretender. I was grafted into this tree of life, of faith because of Jesus. And I absolutely want to produce good fruit, not to prove my salvation, but proving my gratitude.

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Answering to ultimate power

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves. You crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.” Psalms‬ ‭89‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Psalmist writes these broad strokes of power and huge overarching themes of ultimate control over all things – heaven and earth. This Psalm is written while Israel is parked in a 70 year timeout under Babylon’s rule. Daniel is the main character during this time, and even though he could have written this tribute to God it’s more likely that Ezra, the scribe wrote it.

I live close enough to the Pacific Ocean to enjoy parking along the cliffs of Big Corona and sitting on benches overlooking the expansive sea. It is breathtaking to watch the waves constantly, consistently crash on the shore and the reflective sunlight to dance on the endless vista to the horizon.

The ocean is so vast it’s intimidating. Every seaman story tells of its dangerous and untamable nature. No serious captain or crew underestimate its power and often merciless mysteries. That is why it so poetically appropriate for the Psalmist to declare God’s strength and dominion over the waters that cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and hold about 96 percent of all Earth’s water. As humans we all basically live on an island!

The Psalm says, “You rule the oceans.” I am impressed with God’s power, we all should be. All heavens and earth are His. How can God, with this much power not only be concerned but involved and in love with US? How can God with this much power and control not be feared, respected and obeyed? How can this mighty, ocean-ruling God put up with so many who mock, profane and arrogantly ignore Him as creator of all things? It’s shockingly unbelievable! Why doesn’t God just instantly zap every mouthy, foul fool into oblivion?

Because He made us, and has determined to love us. His enduring mercy and patience is utterly, unconditionally FOR us! However, time, like all created things, has an end. There will come a time when everything wraps up and concludes this existence. Every human is given time and every opportunity possible to remind us of God’s existence and His plan for our redemption, our rescue. Many have decided, with full recognition of God’s plan, to go at life and eternity their own way – which we know is simply death, then the moment of accountability. If you have rejected THE most powerful and most loving force in the universe? God will ask why and you will answer.

Prayer

Dad,
When I stand on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and look out to the unending vastness of the sea, I feel so feebly small. I also get just how powerful and as the Psalmist wrote, MIGHTY you really are. You tame the tides and control the storms, yet with our human hearts your greatest power is not force or constraint, but love and freedom. I am overwhelmed, undone, as Isaiah wrote, with your mercy. I will recognize your power and submit to your everlasting love.

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Back to your eternal future.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.” Luke‬ ‭16:22-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus tells a story that should totally shift our perspective.

Here in Luke’s gospel, Jesus is still comparing, not just the rich and poor, but also, what happens to these folks when they are carried into the future.

The future being – in ETERNITY! What a shocker to folks listening. We only seem to take the PRESENT seriously, the NOW, the moment to moment. And, it seems that Jesus is trying to get us to think further, deeper, into the un-fathomless future called, eternity.

As humans we constantly struggle to think or believe outside ourselves, into what or who existed before us (history) and what or who will exist long after we are gone (legacy). We just make decisions for THIS moment and this moment only.

That seems to be the case with the unnamed rich man. Jesus sized him up quickly, a “rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.” And the rich man must have been eating well too because the other man portrayed with the name, “Lazarus,” seemed to be waiting for anything falling from the rich man’s table. Luke did not use the word “scraps.” The compare-contrast picture of a dog who waits and begs under the table (we have two such dogs btw) to the dogs who come and pity the man by licking his sores! Did you know that Dogs are very perceptive in caring and nursing humans that are injured? You have this picture that Lazarus is treated like a dog and gets better care from the dogs than he does his own kind.

Back to the future… both die. One goes to a banquet, the other a hot, horrible eternal summer in Indiana. Maybe Hell isn’t a dry heat after all. It is there that the rich man takes a serious look at his NOW present circumstances. He cries out to the host of the banquet, Father Abraham and has the audacity to ask him to send Lazarus over to just bring a drop of water to quench a nasty, flaming hot Cheetos-mouth in the rich man. Are you kidding me? The rich guy is still in some warped sense of entitlement while he’s in some kind of purgatorial HELL! Talk about ZERO self awareness even in this place of torment.

Jesus then comments on the now very uncomfortable, un-luxurious man’s second request. His SECOND request to Abraham, mind you. “can you at least warn my brothers.” Ah, there we go, finally the rich man grasps the gravity of every human being in this planet. Someone needs to warn them! Is the rich man hinting that Abraham should send Lazarus back to his five brothers in some kind of Jacob Marley, ghost-like visit? The guy is still trying to command and control happily-dead Lazarus! He doesn’t ask Lazarus himself. He doesn’t shout across the chasm – “I am so sorrrrrrry Lazarus…. echo echo echo.”

Even though he finally gets HIS own, well deserved, hellish predicament, he still has no understanding of what’s happened! Rich dude doesn’t get to tell anyone to do anything for him ever again! The ultimate reality check does not sink in, even after death! Exasperated, the rich man negotiates with Abraham in his utter loss of control. But, but but, he says, “‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’” Hmmm, what a thought. If someone comes back from the dead to warn the living of an eternal life that awaits them, maybe then – they would what? Repent, change their temporal, fleeting thoughts and behaviors that only exist in the “NOW” moment? What a grand idea!

In very Jewish fashion, Jesus reminds his listeners, quoting what “future” Abraham would likely say, “If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’” And to non-Jews Jesus would say, “if they won’t listen to every whisper of God that shows up in every grand splendor of creation, every person that attempts to warn them (trying to show God’s love long before God’s final judgment), and has entertained a thousand promises that people would give God their life if only God would get them out of some horrendous jam they’ve got themselves into.” Oh – if they won’t listen to all of that, then it’s totally on them!

Even if God himself were to come, live like us, die like a criminal and come back from the dead to WARN us, they still wouldn’t listen? Yep – this is us.

It’s not just the rich that struggle to peer into their own future, we all do it. So we should quit waiting for some Jacob Marley, some nightmare or near-death experience. Just make the decision to follow Jesus and live your life, live your future NOW.

Prayer

Dad,
Forgive us for being to slow to see our future.

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Three tools to view God’s promises.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” Psalms‬ ‭121:1-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A microscope, binoculars and a telescope. I think of these three tools when I read the wonderfully grand promises of God written in Psalms.

Remember the “wow” factor of looking through these glass visual aids and discovering a world you never knew existed. I read a book, How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Stephen Johnson, where the author lists glass as the number one greatest discovery ever! With these three tools we can go from micro to macro views of our world in just a moment. With one we see incredible detail viewing things on a molecular level the eye alone could never see. With the other we see millions of miles beyond our wildest imagination. These tools help me frame God’s promises.

Normally I may read the Psalms with a microscopic view because I am in pain or struggling with difficult circumstances. And, when I use this very narrow purview, I am looking for God to come and help me NOW. But the Psalmist helps me see other perspectives, with a broader scope. He writes about by day and night. Then I switch to an even more robust, macro view and read that God watches over my life! I write this because I must be reminded that God is my rescue at each and every level.

Sometimes, I impatiently get buried in brain-ruts (repetitive neural pathways) and allow myself to feel trapped or squeezed by some random event or some small comment someone made. My mind starts spinning, spiraling down into the cellular level of doubts and fears like out of some creepy sci-fi movie. I instinctively grab the microscope lens of the Psalms to look for comfort amidst the swirling chaos of my own thoughts. Maybe I need to switch my view, my perspective tools and grab some binoculars to see the day, week or month differently. To allow the Spirit of God to bring Shalom, peace, to lower my blood pressure and remember God’s goodness, His trustworthiness.

And maybe, in my own life or the life of others, I need to grab the telescopic view, the really long view of life, even with eternity in mind. I have to laugh at myself to remember, I am not likely going to DIE over some comment or even some failure. And, even if some major event did happen, God let’s me know through His word, He’s still got me in the palm of His hand. God not only controls and shapes the circumstances of my moment or my day, but also my eternity! God keeps watch both now and forever!!

PRAYER:

Dad,
You are a GOOD God, a GOOD father. I give thanks because your love endures forever. You are ever mindful of me. Your grace, mercy are great and you are so long suffering. Thank you for the Psalms, the writings that remind me of your faithfulness to and throughout all generations!