Eternity is the circle of completion in all that is spiritual yet temporary on this earth. In eternity all life relationships are spiritually connected, to include God, nature, nations, family and country, thus the ultimate melting pot. Because this world has been corrupted or isolated, most, if not all relationships cannot be considered positive or fully realized until “the great gathering” of eternity.
Jesus spoke
words of condemnation and hope to the people of Jerusalem in the midst of
chaos. Chaos they, themselves had instigated
and perpetuated as spirituality had long ago ceased to influence their lives. Of
this, all humanity is guilty. Jesus spoke these words not only to the people of
Jerusalem but to every nation or religious identity, and to us.
Matthew 23:
37, 38, 39.
“Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I
have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings and you were not willing. Look
your house has left you desolate. For I
tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord.’”
The enemy of
spirituality is not the supposed devil but simply our own human arrogance, our selfish
myopic vision for the world around us.
That “me house” we all build will only leave you and I desolate, as it
did for the people of Jerusalem. After
the invasion and captivity by the Romans, they were crying poor me or shouting
violence toward their Roman enemy. In
both responses to misfortune, they were blaming God. Why? Because,
in their own heart of hearts, there is no God if their life is not going well. Rather, it is only worth believing when that belief
has a desired result, if one
is the target of misfortune, the blame for poor results must belong to
God.
Blessed means
“to speak well of” in the Greek language.
It does not mean a level of ethical purity or acceptable religious group
think. The people of Jerusalem were not
speaking well of God and his messengers.
In fact, in the 1000-year history
of the Jewish nation, the disappointed and angry people would kill repeatedly those
who spoke up for God in the midst of misfortune. Maybe, this temporary life is a test, a test
without a final exam. Do we speak well
of God and his eternity in the midst of all manner of disappointment? For those who
insist on blaming God, your opportunity to grow up will occur after death when
it will not require faith “to bless he who comes in the name of the Lord”. God will be in our faces.
There is only one way to avoid this embarrassment, we must give up the childish blame game, trust God regardless and be counted among the willing. When we accept the gift of faith from God we shall reap a belonging that cannot be matched by anything in this world. The great gathering awaits us all but it can start now, the wings of God are outstretched into this world.
Let’s move into
the shade.
G. Goslaw
Landers, CA
