Tag Archives: Choices

Forever Is A Mighty Long Time – Part 1

Beloved, whether we are of the same blood, friends through circumstance, acquaintances by chance, or complete strangers, I ask you to please read and seriously consider these few simple, but absolute truths.

Truth: As Prince once sang, “Forever is a mighty long time.”

Compared to Eternity, life in this world is but a drop of water falling into a vast ocean.
Immeasurable.
And with ripples.

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. (Isaiah 40:15)

Truth:  Just as one day you were born into this world, one day you will surely die out of this world and enter into Eternity.

Truth: There are only two destinations inside Eternity. One you want; one you don’t.
Trust me on this.

Truth: Many people are fairly sure they’ll go to heaven. Others think they will. Some hope they’ll wind up there, while way too many are only wishful. And then there are those who doubt, or know for certain they won’t … and the ones who just don’t care.

Truth: The number of those who are SURE, who believe with a faith that can’t be shaken that their eternal destination is heaven is small.

Truth: Some don’t believe in Eternity. They think life happens … and then you die. End of story. Whether you believe it or not, Eternity is real. And it awaits each of us.

Truth: There’s a funny meme making the rounds on social media right now, and I don’t mean in the funny ha-ha way either. It’s an uncomfortable truth that we tend to laugh off to ease our disquiet and worry.

The fact that there is a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven
says a lot about expected traffic numbers.”

The Bible tells us: Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction (hell and damnation), and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life (with the Lord Jesus Christ), and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Truth: God gave all mankind something that sets us apart from all other created things. He gave us choice.

Truth:  Where we spend Eternity is determined by our choice in this world. Hoping won’t get you to heaven. Wishing won’t. And ignoring it in hopes it will go away …

“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.”
(William James quote)

Question? Are you willing to forego your God-given right to make a choice regarding where you spend Eternity? Because Satan is most eager to cast your proxy vote for you.

A Hint of Our Origins

Life was sweet. Until it wasn’t.

I used this melodramatic statement on the jacket of my recently released book, Imperfect Lies.  For several of the characters in the story, life went from everything they wanted to nothing they wanted or could have imagined. All in the blink of an eye.

I’ve thought about this statement a lot since penning it—Life was sweet. Until it wasn’t—and came to the realization that this has been the theme down through the ages. Just as we get our life right where we want it—boom! Life happens. Plans go awry and once again we’re reminded  we aren’t in control. Even so, we pick up the pieces, put them back together best we can, and try again to put everything in order … until it happens again.

Why does this happen over and over?

Let’s travel back through the ages, to the very beginning of time. According to the first words in the Bible (Genesis 1:1 NKJV), In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Read on and you learn that God created light to illumine the darkness, and it was good. He created day and night, the seas and land. He covered the dry land with vegetation and created animals. He added creatures to the sea, and fowl to fly through the air. He made the sun and moon and stars. 

And then God created man in His own image. And indeed, it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

Until it wasn’t.

Satan set the course for all mankind the day he came into the garden. He added wrong to right, evil to goodness, and ugliness to the beauty God had created. And yes, God loved his creation, mankind, enough that he allowed them to make choices. They chose wrong, and devastating as the consequences were, He allowed man (us) to err, to suffer, and hopefully learn from the consequences.

My old grandmother used to say, “Some lessons are harder learned than others.” I believe the lesson from the Garden of Eden is the ultimate lesson: to obey God’s commands. It’s one we continue to struggle with today.

God still gives us hints of the life he meant for us, though; reminders of how sweet life with Him can be. Think about the peace and serenity of a quiet lake. The soft colors of sunrise and a majestic fiery sunset. A baby’s coo. A snow-covered mountain. A child’s laughter. The clean, fresh scent of the earth after a cleansing rain. The kiss of a loved one. Skin warmed by bright sunshine. White sand. A blue-green ocean. Insects chirping at nightfall. Birds singing with joy. The smile of an aged grandmother. Clouds. Rainbows. And the vast magnificence of the heavens.

Yes, the heavens. All we have to do is look up with open eyes to see the splendor of creation. The stars, sun and moon, the comets and eclipses—all signs to draw our eyes, minds, and hearts to Jesus.

Time and again through scripture, whenever the people looked up, the Lord God Almighty answered, because life is sweet … when we keep our eyes on the Lord.