Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I have numerous books, so many
that my wife tells me I should open my own library. For some reason, I
never throw any of them away, unless they are truly valueless. I know,
this makes moving quite a heavy task, one to dread. Ouch! My back!
Some books, however, speak more clearly to my heart than others, and
these are the most precious of all.
All of these books have one
thing in common: The end is set before we begin start reading them. The
outcome has already been determined by the pen of the author, and all
depending upon the actions of the characters, they either end up in
triumph or in utter defeat.
Despite the fact that authors usually
know the final outcome long before the book is completed, they often
give their characters opportunities to redeem themselves. These are the
books I truly cherish, for they remind me of how God truly is. Despite
everything that has happened in the history of the Earth, He still
yearns that all of us be saved for eternity. That's His greatest wish!
The problem is that most of us are hard of hearing! "The Lord is not
slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is
patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance." (2 Peter 3:9, NIV2)
Even more acutely than any
author, God knows the end from the beginning, and He is there to sustain
us through whatever mountaintops of joy or valleys of suffering (See the
book of Job) that our journey takes us through. What fills me with hope
is that He knows my end from the beginning. In other words, I have
nothing, absolutely nothing to worry about, even if, like an object
caught up in the flow of a draining sink, my health is failing and my
life is falling apart.
Jesus Himself can vouch for that, too.
Though He knew what would happen to Him, the only time He was anxious
about Calvary was just moments before His arrest. And even this anxiety
was temporary. Jesus knew His end from the beginning. He knew that in
all reality, it wasn't the "end" at all! It was truly only the
beginning!
"We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will
be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They
will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be
mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to
life!" (Matthew 20:18-19, NIV2)
How did He do it?
Though
His heart was completely devoted to saving us all, and though He would
have done it to save even just one of us, I am certain that Jesus was
much more focused on the resurrection part than on the suffering part.
If Jesus died so unselfishly for us, if He then was raised up, just
as He promised, then those who truly believe can be guaranteed that
eternity awaits us as well! "By his power God raised the Lord from the
dead, and he will raise us also." (1 Corinthians 6:14, NIV2)
The
apostle Paul could vouch for this, as He, too, was looking forward to
seeing Jesus face to face: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain." (Philippians 1:21, NIV2)
Because God knows our end from
the beginning, we have truly nothing to fear. We may not always like
what we are going through, especially if suffering is involved, but we
don't need to be obsessed by our circumstances, for these will soon be
over! Jesus has planned our new home for eternity, and all of our
tribulations on earth are but temporary inconveniences, trials that can
be likened to a blink of the eye when compared to eternity with our
Forever Friend.
"For our light and momentary troubles are
achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix
our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen
is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18,
NIV2)
All is for a reason, everything is destined to be an
opportunity for us to begin trusting God completely.
Hey! I am
moving tomorrow. Would you have some free time to help me move all these
books?
Rob Chaffart
The End from the Beginning. When Suffering Knocks on Our Door Conclusion
Today's Bible Verse:
"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what
is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all
that I please.'" (Isaiah 46:10)
The End from the Beginning. When Suffering Knocks on Our Door Conclusion
Announcement:
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God bless you!
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