“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelations 21:3-4).
The days of man on earth are numbered and this brevity is written all over his life, I mean a life that has come to the consciousness of this truth. David wrote in Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Recently, I had a very remarkable experience, which initiated my keen interest in this aspect of my faith and this also brought a very profound revelation into the making of my life, as it relates to my purpose for living and the time-frame at my disposal to bring to reality, my God-given purpose on earth. Charles. H. Spurgeon has this to say about life “Here is the history of the grass—sown, grown, blown, mown, gone; and the history of man is not much more.”
Contrary to the natural human feeling that “we have all the time in the world to do what we like”, David has a contrary opinion on that, as he wrote in the Psalms, there is a need to always remember to count the number of days we have spent every morning, so we know that we are getting close to the grave. I can confidently reiterate that this topic is never going to be an interesting story, and it will definitely not attract a lot of readers, seeing the topic, but the absolute reality about this is never going to diminish a bit. Several are the ambitions and aspirations of man, but whatever the plans are, the truth about what happens next should always be lurked somewhere in our minds. That automatically shapes and models our perspectives about the way and manner things should be handled…not a do or die… “…you that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (James 4:13-14).
Life in Eternity
I have asked myself this question severally; why the life of man has been designed to be so short on the face of earth, but the duration of his life in eternity is forever. The truth is that, we are all pilgrims here on earth, heading for our Home in eternity. “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36). It is then a thing of choice for you…as you can believe on the Son and receive the blissful life with Him in eternity, or reject him and spend eternity in the everlasting damnation.
It is therefore a function of your decision to choose to live beyond the struggles, pains, failures, tribulations and the brevity of this world, transiting into the kingdom of the Son, Jesus Christ, where there would be an assurance of hope, joy, fulfilment, no-disappointment, peace and never-ending access to the presence of God, where Jesus sits at God’s right hand. The coming of Jesus Christ has created a link between mankind and God, and this link gave birth to grace which has given us a complete and full access to the Father, without any barrier.
“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelations 21:3-4).
Eternity Starts Now
As against the belief of some, your faith in God allows you to start living in the fulfilment of eternity now that you are in Christ Jesus. A full benefit-package accrues to any man or woman who has declared their total allegiance to Jesus Christ. All that is required is to believe that you have a new and confirmed status and identity in God, as an heir of the covenant of divine provision and you would will no longer experience lack. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19). Being in Christ also gives you an unhindered access to the abundance of peace, meant for the life in eternity, but due to your belief and the consciousness of this truth, you begin to enjoy peace, even in this world of turbulence and terror. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27).
Considering the effects of secularisation, especially in the western world today, our daily activities, including our faith have been influenced by a significant move of ambitions, uncertainties and confusion. I have discovered that the only remedy to this is living in the love of Jesus Christ, and daily, draw the required strength from Him. Above all, we need to be fully conscious of the truth… of the brevity of our lives on this planet, thereby entirely focusing on eternity, which starts here on earth. “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.” (Luke 18:29-30).
