ETERNITY
Why are we never satisfied in this life?
God's Response:
[God] has planted eternity in the human heart.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.
Revelation 21:3-4
Our Takeaway:
God has "planted eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This means that we can never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. Because we are created in God's image, nothing but the eternal God can truly satisfy us. He has built into us a restless yearning for the kind of world that can be found only in the perfect home Jesus has prepared for us. He has given us a glimpse of the perfection of His creation. When you see injustice and pain in this world, does your heart long for the perfection of heaven? Let this longing motivate you to do God's work to further His Kingdom here on earth.
God's Promise:
This world is not our permanent home, we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
Hebrews 13:14
Big T's Thought To Ponder:
I see myself and the world around me as so impatient when it comes to trying to get our minds around the when's, what's and why's of heaven.
Described in Ecclesiastes 3:11, is the impulse deep in our hearts for the things of heaven - God places it there and shapes us for eternal life through our mountain top and valley experiences in life, this can be a slow and sometime painful process, especially for the Big T's of the world who take 45 years to see the light and come to Him.
But the fact remains, we all want heaven, and we want it now! Do you notice all the ways we try to get it? We look for heaven in lot of places -- exotic far away vacations, the malls of America, real estate shopping guides, the movies and novels that engross us, satisfying relationships we pursue, the American dream we're promised and so many other places... You name it and we have placed hope in it... We welcome distorted and poor substitutes.
We are driven to satisfy our impulses for the eternal kingdom, trying to fill our hearts with things that don't measure up. Regardless of the places we go and the stuff we acquire along the way they never seem to measure up to fill internal desire we have for Heaven. Eternal impulses are never satisfied by temporal treasures.
Where have you sought to secure your heaven? Even if you've placed your hope in the Kingdom of God, If your like me and most of the world, you may have been tempted to secure your kingdom by your own means - insulating yourself in the most comfortable neighborhoods, padding you bank accounts and lifestyle the most comfortable margins, gotten away from it all with the most comfortable reprieve, and escaped into the most comfortable fantasies.
Are we entertaining false hopes? Have we been cultivating our own parallel false kingdom next to the eternal Kingdom of God? Resist the urge!
John 14:1-3
Consider the promise of Romans 8:18: Current sufferings do not compare to future glory. Then set you heart on the future glory. Know that in His time, God will make all things - even your life - extremely beautiful.
God has called us into a relationship with Him - let that be our treasure. Handle the things of this world with a loose grip and look for Heaven where it really is.
1 John 2:15
To God be the Glory, our honor and praises!
