08/30/2021
We are flighty creatures that lose interest in things easily, and move on to the next big one that catches our eye. For us to remain engaged in something, even the glory of God, we need unending motivation, and to constantly have our interests renewed. If we know this about ourselves in this life, and see it as a weakness, then do we fear all the more our ability to worship God for eternity? Can we possibly demonstrate a faithfulness that will allow us to love, praise, and bless Him always?
“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.”
Psalm 145:1 ESV
To love and worship God forevermore is a believer’s greatest desire, but it can also be our greatest fear. We taste a new food and it becomes our favorite. We eat it over and over again until at last we lose our taste and desire for it. We meet new people who we become infatuated with, and we see them every day until what we once found to be such an attraction in them has become mediocre, and we see them like any other person in our lives… this is human nature, and can cause us to have concern regarding eternity, but fear not, because God knows this about us, and He helps us in this regard. Our Father changes our very nature through our faith in Jesus Christ, and makes Himself new to us every day.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
Thus, when we hear scripture speaking of eternity, and doing anything for forevermore, we should not fear our own natural inclinations, but listen to the many other scriptures in which God is helping us by renewal, or by reinventing the way we understand, and come to know Him. There is nothing boring, or old hat, about our God. We can read a passage of scripture once and see it a certain way, but when we read it again we find something new there… and so it goes over and over again with every new reading. God’s Word is constantly refreshing itself. Haven’t you found this to be true?
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19 ESV
Then there is our constantly changing world, and God’s revelation in it. We experience hardship, disaster, pain of some type, or perhaps great moments of joy. All of these being interspersed with miracles, dreams, and visions. Do we think this is a random occurrence of events, or is it the reinvention of our perception, and interaction with God through a new set of circumstances in which we call on Him, worship Him, praise Him, and serve Him... it is the renewal of our faith in action, and a glimpse into what awaits us in eternity.
“Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:24 ESV
In as much as we thrive on change, our God, and Jesus Christ tell us that they are unchanging, but what does that mean to Them as beings who are all things at once, and not bound as we are to travel through life chained to time. They are instantly new, old, and everything in between. This is something we can only understand as the “Now”. Eternity is not just an endless line, it is one that doesn’t have a beginning either. It knows no boundaries, no up, down, right, left, forward, or back… it quite simply is, or as God calls himself… the “I Am.”
““I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””
Revelation 1:8 ESV
So this will be our new existence, our eternity with Them. Our old nature that once was controlled by time will have passed away, and taken our boredom and need for constant change with it. Our praise, love, and worship will be boundless, never having begun, and knowing no end. In realizing this we can let go of the fear we have been harboring as we worried about becoming bored, or unable to worship, love, or do anything for an eternity.
““Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for helping us as we love, and worship you each day. Thank you for the changes, and various occurrences in our lives that make you fresh, and new, to us each morning. Yet we thank you all the more Holy Father for relieving us of the doubt we have felt in our ability to worship you, and doing the other things of your will without ceasing, or ebbing, for an eternity. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who knows no bounds and is truly the great “I Am”. We praise you in all things, and desire to worship you for all eternity… abiding in Christ as He Abides in us, and He in you. Wash us clean in the blood of Jesus, and prepare us for eternity with you Lord. Let our voices sing out without ceasing, and your joy radiate from us forevermore.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”
Revelation 21:4-6 ESV
Rich Forbes