Seeing What is Eternal

 2 Corinth 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Scriptures say that life on earth is like a vapor. Vapor quickly dissipates into the air. We look at a pot of water that is boiling and see that as the water heats up, it evaporates. It turns into steam. We temporally see it move in the air, then it is gone. Like vapor, our life on earth is much the same, we are tempted to fix our eyes on earthly things. We work hard to build wealth and security. We desire things in this world that bring a sense of satisfaction. The temporal things of this life have their attractions. But for the person who has been born again, and experiences the eternal forgiveness of Christ, we set our affections on things above and not on things of this world. True contentment does not come from the earthly treasures of life, for they are short-lived and will fade away in the light of eternity. The saying that, “Seeing is believing” is flawed by the reality that there is more to life than what is seen with the naked eye. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I am also known.” (1 Corinth 13:12). Life on earth happens, and in this world we will have tribulations. But be of good cheer, for we live not for this world, but for a better world whose builder and maker is God.

God Hears Our SOS

 Psalm 118:5,6
I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

In the early 1900’s, the letters SOS were used to signal that someone was in distress or in need of saving. The distress was given out in Morse code and later became the standard signal to let others know that help was needed. Even though the signal has been replaced with other forms of technology, it is still used to communicate that someone is in distress, someone is in trouble and their life is in danger. When we cry out to the Lord in distress, He sees our SOS. Distress is an emotional, social, spiritual, or physical pain or suffering that may cause a person to feel sad, afraid, depressed, anxious, or lonely. Like David, we face situations in our lives that we don’t have control over. We become anxious when we find ourselves without answers to problems that we are not able to solve. The Lord will sometimes let us get to the end of resources, so that we can turn to Him. He is there ready and desiring to answer our distress call. In prayer, we signal to the Lord our SOS, and He is there to meet our every need. We need not fear evil, for He is with us. We need not fear the circumstances that come our way because He knows what we are facing and going through. Distress is a human emotion, but it does not have to rule over us. In times of distress, He can give us peace that passes understanding, and contentment in knowing that the Lord is in control, and He will come to our rescue at the right time.

Never Alone

 

John 16:32  Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

There are times when we just want to be alone. Pull away from the noise of the world and the distraction to focus and contemplate on life. Time to examine who we are and where we are going. Time to reflect on where we have been and what our next steps will be moving forward. Being alone is often necessary in order to muse over our relationship with God and others. Being alone on purpose is not the same as being lonely. Loneliness is an emotion that is triggered when we feel no one cares, the absence of feeling we are not loved. It often leads to depression and lack of self-worth. Even though born in sin, we are made in the image of God. We are His creation, therefore the Father values who we are. We may find ourselves in a state of loneliness, but we truly are never alone. Others may scatter about, giving no attention to our presence, but the Father will never leave us alone. He loves the sinner, and He loves those who believe. To the sinner, God seeks to have a relationship. The Holy Spirit works in the life of a sinner to reveal their sinfulness, and bring them into fellowship with his creator, never to be lonely again. To the believer, Satan will discourage us into thinking that we are all alone. Tribulations come, and it seems that we are facing them alone. This is the feeling the disciples had when they were out to sea and the storm came. They cried out, “Master, don’t you care that we perish.” (Mark 4:8). In other words, “Why have you left us alone to die?” Jesus warns us that we will face hard and difficult times in this life, and times when we will feel that we are all alone. He reminded his disciples that even though others may scatter, and hard times come, that the Father will never leave us. When Jesus left this world, He promised us the Holy Spirit, the comforter, that would go with us and be with us in every trial and tribulation we face. No matter what Satan says, we are never alone.

Looking to Jesus

 Isaiah 51:1
 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence you dug. 

The start of a new year is always a good time to reflect on the previous year. The events we experience in 2024 no doubt shaped us and molded us in some way. Hopefully, it was for the good. Personally, it was a very stressful year. Dealing with the health decline of my mother and her passing was tough. Through it all, I was reminded that life is but a vapor. We enter into this world, find our purpose, live our destiny, and leave a legacy behind us. My purpose was to live for Jesus, to follow after righteousness, and daily seek His face. To always remember that He brought me out of sin, gave me a new life, and to live a life that would bring glory to His name. We do not want to live in the past, but looking back to see how God has worked in our lives can help our faith to believe that He is still able to do great things in the future. What the future holds, God only knows. Life is uncertain as to the days we have left, but we are to be vessels, ready and willing to be used by God for as long as He gives us breath. In 2025, let us look to Jesus. He is our help and refuge, our Rock of salvation. In every situation, He will bring us out and save us in times of trouble.