Timeless freedom and joy
2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Yesterday was a roller-coaster of emotions. An outpouring of love for my birthday from friends, coupled with discussions of pain in the same circle. Some of the pain was from the political scene, yet it is time to move on and pray for our country. Most of this talk was more of the personal sort; more about the realization of the trials of life that God seeking people are facing. I said yesterday it seems to be the mark of a disciple to be under strain in their lives right now. Intense personal tribulations of many sorts I have heard from many of you. God’s leash on Satan and his limitations are reaching deep into Christianity. Satan is peaking; but we must keep our eyes on eternity, and focused on Christ at all costs for our temporal time here. These pains too shall pass.
Christ had been speaking to His disciples regarding His second coming. He spoke in Luke 21 of all the wars and pain before His return. He spoke of the signs of His return and the redemption of His followers. Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Christ exhorts them to keep their eyes on Him and to pray diligently for strength during all they face. He is pointing even us to remain focused on Him in the trials in our lives today; to set Him as the goal. Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” All our pain is temporary; all our pain now is but a speck of sand in the ocean of eternity in God’s eyes.
In our minds we cannot grasp eternity. We are drawn to it; to long for it; but we cannot understand it. The power of sin weighs us down to the present tribulation. The power of sin robs us of the joy of seeing the freedom of eternity. In 2 Peter 3 above, God looks at earthy time as one thousand years here, is equal to one day in eternity. Do the math. Is what you are facing at this very moment so grand that it robs you of the joy of eternal paradise? Satan is the ultimate deceiver, and a strength he has is anxiety as a deception of the mind. I know this personally. The closer you grow to Christ, the stronger his attacks with worry. So much of our worry is focused on tomorrow when tomorrow may never come. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Can we just strive to spend today focused on eternity and what awaits us there? Can we spend today knowing whatever we are facing God has never given us more than we can handle? Can we spend today sharing our hope with someone who is facing a mountain alone, without God?
oneminuteministry 