This morning I read from Ecclesiastes 1 and a word from verse 4 caught my attention. “Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever." That word is “forever”. Checking the dictionary forever mean for all future time; for always. Is the earth going to last forever? I don’t think that’s what Ecclesiastes meant.
Forever has to do with time. Time has to do with our planet’s
rotation and orbit around the sun in sync with other planets in our solar
system. Should we get out of earth, away and beyond our milky way, time is no
more. Out in deep space, there is timelessness. If you perhaps land on some
other solar system with a planet that sustains life, then time begins again.
But time then would be different than that which we experience here. My point
is, there is a huge difference between forever and eternity. In a realm where
time is not, eternity is. God is timeless. God is not bound by the laws of
physics nor time. Our time on earth is determined. One can live averagely eighty
years after which comes eternity when we will no longer be here on planet earth
where time is but forever.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
Forever is temporary. Eternity is infinite. Our eternal God
reminds us the stark contrast between forever and eternity. An eternity on
earth is a nightmare. Our milky way is not the one and only creation of God. That
would not justify God's existence. God created the entire universe. It starts with a big
bang but it is God who caused that fateful explosion that brought about life
and time. Four billion years it took for earth’s creation may seem like
forever, but considering eternity, forever is but just a moment. Science is
simply knowledge. There is so much more yet to uncover, to learn and even if we
live to be a thousand years old, we will still gain but a teeny-weeny knowledge of
the universe God had created. That’s why I look forward to eternity. As long as
we are alive, we have the ability to gain knowledge. And the good news is, life
does not end on earth. God has set eternity for us. Earth is but a gateway to
the universe God had created for His pleasure and for us. I really wish
scientists can know this. There is yet so much to hope for, to look forward to
if only we look beyond forever into eternity.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God;
believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so,
would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And
if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with
me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am
going.” (John 14:1-4).
I like to paraphrase the above invitation of Jesus. To me,
this is what I understand.
“Do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God;
believe also in me. My Father’s universe has many milky ways; if
that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a
place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and
take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the
place to where I am going”.
How do we know the way? Jesus Himself proclaimed: “I am
the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Look at the universe.
Eternity is for real. Sad thing is, people choose to live forever instead of
for eternity. The apostle Paul made mention: “So we fix our eyes not on what
is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18). There is a stark contrast between forever and eternity.
My take for today?
1. Church, never lose your way with God. If you feel you have strayed too far and you feel lost, it is time you pray to find your way back to God. Who knows what tomorrow holds? Like flowers in the fields, we are here today and gone the next.
2. For those who are in a quest for knowledge, good news
is you can have all eternity for your quest, to learn and to unravel the wonders of creation. God created us for His pleasure. And one of His greatest pleasure is that we gain knowledge of His creation. The universe is God's playground for us. I hope you live a blessed life. Find your way to God, or find your way back to God. Either way, life doesn't make sense without acknowledging God and His creation. Have a good day.
