Ecclesiastes 3:11 says "He (God) has set eternity in the hearts of men." I understood that verse in the sense that I cannot imagine my own extinction. I cannot conceive of not existing. I also think of that verse every time I stand at a graveside saying goodbye. An innate sense of right and wrong tells me we are not meant for this, we were not created for goodbyes. But I heard a message from Ecclesiastes last week that stressed another side of having eternity in our hearts, the knowledge that, no matter how much we achieve here on earth, death will claim all. Wealth, fame, accomplishments, all will be left behind. The king carries no more beyond the grave than the pauper. Eternity can be a bitter weight to carry in our hearts.
Eternity is only a comfort to those who know where they will be and who they will be with. It is like the aroma of Christ in 2 Cor. 2:15, 16--to the saved, it is the fragrance of life, to the unsaved, the stench of death. It is our nature to both long for, and fear, eternity, for only eternal life can give this earthly life significance. It is God's nature to use both the fear and longing to drive us to him. In the heart he transplants into his children, eternity fits perfectly.
No comments:
Post a Comment