Friday, April 10, 2009

God's Word All Over Again

Psalm 8:3-4: "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?"

What is your fate? Why do you subsist? Is there a reason, a purpose, for human life? These questions have baffled me lately.
Have you ever pondered the meaning of life? A child naturally wonders, "Where did I come from?" As adults we ask, especially in our twilight years: "Is this physical life all there is? Does my life have a purpose?"
Think about your own existence. Can you see a purpose for your own life with its ups and downs, its mixture of joys and sorrows? Do you sense lasting value in its toil, challenges and uncertainties?
Just why were you/we born? Understanding that only God can reveal His purpose for creating us, the overwhelming majority of people have failed to grasp the amazing future God has in store for those who develop a proper relationship with Him. As the apostle Paul put it: "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).
The Scriptures tell us that our destiny can exceed anything we could imagine in our wildest dreams! Isn't it time we let God explain—from His Word—what He has in mind for us?

A prophetic passage gives us our first clue to our fantastic future. Speaking of the resurrection of the dead, it tells us that a time is coming when "many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." It adds: "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever" (Daniel 12:2-3).

Is this but just a hint of the amazing future God has planned for us— to live forever, shining in glory like brilliant stars! Before I/we can grasp man's eternal fate, however, I think we need to clearly understand what man is now. That is how God created us: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). This to me means a physical being composed of the chemical substances of earth mortal, rather than immortal, Gods servants are those who "seek for glory, honor, and immortality" (Romans 2:7) Immortality is available only through mankind's Savior, Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). The human spirit is critical to our destiny, since God's Holy Spirit joining with it is what makes us God's children (Romans 8:16). And just as the human spirit gives us human understanding, so God's Spirit gives us higher, godly understanding (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). We are not born with the Holy Spirit but receive it from God following repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38).

Our eternal life “purpose” is the gift God has in store for those who turn from the way of sin and begin obeying Him from the heart. Again, it is not something we inherently possess. Rather, it is something God offers to us— if we turn from our old sinful ways and, through Christ, accept His forgiveness and direction for our life. This to me is what He wants for everyone: "God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4). He is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God desires to give us the precious gift of life forevermore. He will do everything he can to ensure that we receive this timeless destiny he has planned for us!
God Bless You and This Ministry!

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