“ Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” Ephesians 2:17-10 The Message Bible
We are pondering eternal matters this week – the big picture, Kingdom of God concepts that overarch our entire existence. You and I are eternal creatures, made to live forever with eternal purposes built into us. One of these purposes is a calling to BE Blessings in Christ to the world around us – fulfilling our destiny in Him and acting as conduits of these eternal blessings He has so lovingly lavished upon us.
Dear friends, I suspect that if you are reading this blog, your circumstances may be quite desperate. No matter what you are currently facing, no matter what your world looks like, at the end of the day, the big eternal picture is not all about us or even about the whole universe – it is all about Jesus and His Kingdom! The amazing truth is that He desires to include us in His sovereign, eternal plan – a plan that is SO good, it is out of this world! Our Creator and Saviour desires to partner with us and does not want us to miss out on a single thing He has planned! We are invited to seek Him to find where we fit perfectly into His sovereign design, within His world. Let us build on Beth’s example of looking at her suffering through eternal glasses. Like Beth, we too can find our place (and one day will see where our present circumstances fit) by seeking Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we will find our purpose, our identity, our security and our peace. He is the All in All who sees and controls the big picture, the One who holds all things together. (See Colossians 1:15-21.) And as unbelievable as it may sound to you right now, He has a unique, eternal purpose for you in your suffering- good works In Christ planned for you to bless others, even through your most desperate times.
The apostle Paul certainly encourages us to look at all of life from an eternal perspective. Here is another piece of advice from him…
“So if you are serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” Colossians 3:1-2 The Message Bible
To BE Mindful of Eternity, we need to fill our minds with eternal things. We need to study and believe the words of the Lord Jesus and get His perspective on how He desires us to BE thinking- of eternity in all things. Yes, the Maker of the world holds the world in His hands – but He also holds our personal worlds too. Let us endeavor together to make Him and His Eternal Word the measure of our lives. May He teach us how to live in light of eternity and dwell in the fullness of His blessings today – overflowing to others and fulfilling our destiny in Him in each and every situation!
A quote to inspire you:
The truth is this: God is saying, ”I want you to know right now that all of history, including the portion constituting your life, is completely under my control. No matter how things appear, every little detail is part of a beautiful picture. But I am leaving those details as challenges of faith to prepare you for the world we will share one day. You must trust me in the smaller things, knowing that the larger things are all established.” From Captured By Grace by David Jeremiah
Songs to encourage you:
Painting by Jordan Worner
Before the Morning by Josh Wilson
You’re Already There by Casting Crowns
Books and DVD’s to build you up:
Epic by John Eldridge (Book and DVD series that explains the BIG story God is telling.)
Big Picture God by Louie Giglio (DVD series mentioned in Heartbreakingly Beautiful.)
Highly recommended resources:
We deeply appreciate our friends from Eternal Perspectives Ministries who helped us keep an eternal perspective throughout Beth’s trial. The Lord continues to use their ministry to build our hope in Jesus as we grieve. EPM has amazing resources to help you BE Mindful of Eternity throughout all circumstances. Pastor Randy Alcorn is a gifted teacher who loves Jesus and His Word. Check out the vast array of novels, devotionals, teaching materials, books and DVD’s on offer to build your eternal perspective!
www.epm.org