The Pastor’s Piece December 29, 2019
Fellowship of Christian Farmers
By Kevin Cernek
December 29, 2019
It’s a brand new year! I wonder what 2020 has in store? One thing I know for sure, change will be involved. Every life is full of change. Like the seasons of the year nothing stays the same for long because life moves so fast. Sometimes we fail to enjoy the present in anticipation of the future and then we look back longingly to yesteryear. My dad has a sign hanging in his office that reads: “These are the good old days.” Yes indeed they are.
Change usually involves a degree of resistance. Why do we resist change? I found the answer in the Bible where God has given us the record of how and why we were made; and what makes up our intellect and describes our needs and shortcomings. The Bible says that God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
What does that mean – eternity in our hearts? Well, for one, it means that everyone knows in their innermost being that this life is not the end – that one day we will stand before our Maker and give an account for our lives here on earth. We know this life is temporary and we long for that which is eternal.
We all know people who see life as the glass being half empty. You might be thinking today’s column is half empty. But it’s not; it’s full to overflowing – you will see. I had a friend one time that would growl when I’d say good morning. He always answered with: “What’s so good about it?” That is a life that’s half empty.
We naturally do not like change because it’s in our hearts to yearn for the eternal – where things will never change. We were not meant for this broken, changing world, we were meant for God’s eternal kingdom and that’s what our hearts long for. Change subtly reminds us of the desire for something permanent. That’s why we wish that certain happy moments in life could last forever. But something always interrupts them.
So how do we cope and prosper on a personal and emotional level in this life? It’s through the awareness we have within us, given to us by God Himself when He created us, that this life is not all there is. God has set eternity in our hearts.
As believers in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know the best is yet to come. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). That is how we find peace with God and eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus also said, “I have come that you might have life and have it to the fullest.” (John 10:10). That is how we live life with the glass overflowing.
It tells us in Revelation 21 that God has a new home and new life planned for His people where He will live among us – not distant and invisible like He is now. It will be a place of no sorrow, death, mourning, crying or pain. It’s a place that almost seems too good to be true. But it is true because the Truth teller (Jesus) assures us it is. We can embrace whatever changes come our way in this new year, because we know that God’s best for us is yet to come.
Happy New Year Everyone!