When you get a taste of eternity, nothing is ever quite the same again. Food loses its flavor. Movies become boring and time-consuming. Relationships not centered around God are no longer satisfying. Comfort food doesn’t work. “Vegging out” is no longer an option, and “hanging out” leaves you empty. Time alone is time with Jesus, and time with people is talking about Him. You can never get enough and every moment is an opportunity for more of His presence, love, affection, and beauty.
It’s an uncomfortable place. It’s a dangerous place. It’s what we were made for.
He has sent eternity in the hearts of men (Eccl. 3:11), and this is eternal life “that they may know You, the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn. 17:3). Eternal life is about knowing God and knowing Him is about unfathomable depths and inconceivable glory.
Encountering that gaping hole of unquenchable longing in your heart is painful. Tasting eternity and realizing the transcendence of God is painful; yet, once we touch it, no other pain compares. Our hearts can be broken, bodies tortured, emotions shaken, minds unraveled, and hopes dashed, but nothing compares to the pain of longing to see the face of God.
God placed this cry in our hearts, “You said to my heart, ‘Seek My face!’ Your face, O Lord, I will seek…” (Ps. 27:8). It is a lifelong cry in the heart of every man to see something so terrifying, beautiful, loving, and fascinating.
It is from this place of agitation and satisfaction that I write to you. Nothing could be as simple and as complicated as seeking to love God with all your heart. In that agitated place found between the two extremes, we find the pearl of great price. Those who see its worth, sell all that they have and buy it (Mt. 13:44-46); yet, others cast it before swine (Mt. 7:6).
Is all the agitation worth it? Why pursue something you can never quite grasp? Why lay aside the pleasures of this life for something you cannot see?
Well, do we really believe that we will live forever? If so, then every moment we spend grasping for eternity will never be wasted. Every seed sown into the kingdom will reap a harvest (Gal. 6:8). Every branch that does not bear fruit will be cut off and cast into the fire, but those who remain in the vine will have eternal life (Jn. 15).
Getting a head-start on eternity in this life is more than a convenience—it’s the essence of why we exist, to know Him. Forever, we will be enthralled by His beauty yet longing for more. We will be in constant pursuit of His unfathomable riches (Rom. 11:33, Eph. 3:8).
Let us seek for Him with all of our heart, and we will find Him (Jer. 29:13-14). Ask the Lord for a taste of eternity. Find scriptures about the age to come and ask the Lord how to align your life with a vision for eternity like Abraham who saw the invisible city (Heb. 11). Meditate on the parables of the pearl of great price and the treasure in the field (Mt. 13). Meditate on Psalm 27:4, 8.
Getting a vision for eternity will put your life into perspective and help you pursue the Lord with all your heart. Ask Him for a taste of eternity. You’ll never be the same again.
Blessings,
Amanda
Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment