The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Hearts of People, Blades of Grass"
God ever works according to "the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:11). Thus, "from everlasting to everlasting," all things proceed from, through, and unto that which will glorify and reveal the Lord Jesus as the heart of every Divine intention and doing (Psalm 90:2).
"The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand" (John 3:35).
Born again believers in the Lord Jesus play a vital role in God's ongoing purpose, as executed through His Son. Christ lives in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, meaning that we participate in eternal realities, even as we live in time.
"We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Corinthians 4:18).
In the original Greek of the New Testament, "look" in this passage is the same word from which our contemporary word "scope" is translated. This involves a fixed gaze and examination of the object considered. Thus, God calls us to set the gaze of our hearts on eternal things, again, "the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." We do not ignore earthly realities, and we actually function far better and more practically in time when we possess a proper view of eternity. Indeed, if our Heavenly Father works all things according to His eternal purpose in Christ, and if Christ lives in us, then what we do and how we do it matters far more than often realize. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).
Later today, I will conduct a service. Before that, I plan on cutting the grass if the rain now falling as I write this abates. Which will be more important in God's eternal purpose to exalt the Lord Jesus? Certainly, it might seem the service will be of far greater and more lasting significance. However, if "all things" serve to fulfill God's purpose in Christ, should I see one endeavor as greater than the other? Absolutely not. Without minimizing the importance of obvious ministry, cutting the grass bears Heavenly as well as earthly consequence, especially as I remember, "Whatsoever ye do…"
This day in time teems with significance for the forever of eternity. Whether in service to the hearts of people or to blades of grass, the Lord Jesus abides in both to fulfill His Father's purposes. "Do all to the glory of God." The One who "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" purposes to glorify and reveal His Son in us today (Ephesians 1:11). Knowing such wondrous truth prepares us to walk accordingly, with a gaze fixed intently on eternal glories in Christ, even as we properly attend to earthly matters graced with everlasting importance. Such blessed truth sanctifies everything in our lives with participation in God's eternal purpose in His beloved Son and our blessed Savior.
"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord."
(Colossians 3:23)
Weekly Memory Verse
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
(II Corinthians 9:8)
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