modernsopher

[modernsopher]

WHY ETERNITY MATTERS NOW (MORE THAN WE MAY REALIZE)

Do you feel like you can fully grasp the idea, and importance, of eternity? It’s not something we think about every day. Honestly most people may only think about it when they mull over the idea of death and where their soul will wander thereafter. The truth is that eternity has much more to do with us now than simply considering where we go when we die. The importance is for this life as much as it is for the next. Today I want to wake us up to the importance of understanding eternity while we are on earth. Does it matter? Absolutely. Why? Well let’s take a look…

SCIENCE LOST INFINITY AT THE BIG BANG

Albert Einstein said, “Science without religion is useless, religion without science is blind.” It’s highly unlikely that Einstein believed in Jesus as Savior and Lord, but he did believe in the Creator. In fact, Einstein had a hard time reconciling creation without a Creator.

In the last couple of decades science has gone through quite a transition, even to the point of redefining the meaning and means of science itself. Science was once rooted in the belief that given enough facts all reality could be observed, measured, and explained. Yet 21st Century science seems to have uncorked the proverbial Genie. It appears that the more the science community understands about the universe, the more they are exposed to a level reality that defies scientific explanation and “rational” thinking.

The challenge with all science is that it’s rooted in the finite, commissioned to explain the infinite. Take one of the the most common scientific theories; the “Big Bang” theory. The often overlooked fact is that the Big Bang theory, metaphorically speaking, doesn’t start on the first chapter of the book of reality! The theory begins with an explosion of matter (defined in various ways); but the question is, where did the elements come from? Someone ripped chapter one out of the science book! I mean, where in the universe did they shop for the elements that went bang?! How, in the confines of the laws of physics, did matter appear from nothing and nowhere? Furthermore, where did the universe come from that allowed the “Big Bang” to occur?

I have listened to interviews and debates by several different scientists on this subject who don’t believe in eternity and their answers range from ridiculous to humors. It’s not that these guys are dumb; they are not! It’s just that they have vetted their hypotheses to exclude eternal perspectives and infinite insights.

CREATION, ETERNITY AND SPACE

Well Kris, if you’re so smart, where do you think matter came from? The writer of the book of Hebrews explained it like this, “…what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” In other words, the finite, visible world was birthed out of the infinite, invisible realm.

Here’s a different way to incision it: if you flew to the end of all the universes what would be there? Nothing, you say? But what is nothing?…If you are there it must be something! Does space go on forever and ever? Well, isn’t this a manifestation of eternity?

WHERE IS HEAVEN? DOES GOD LIVE THERE?

I would like to suggest that God is not in heaven; heaven is in God! Think about it, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away…” meaning they are not eternal. God is eternal, so where did God live before He created heaven? Well, another way to look at it is that God is in heaven because heaven is in God. When we get to heaven God will be there because it’s inside of God. In other words, the finite lives inside the infinite…time inside of timelessness…etc. God is in you, but remember He is also simultaneously in about 3 billion other people, so you can’t contain Him, you can only maintain Him. But the greater reality is that you are inside of God. The apostle Paul wrote, “In Him we live, move and have our being.”

Okay, back to the science question; what would you discover if you could fly to the end of the finite? You would discover the Infinite one! Solomon put it this way, “The heavens, the highest heavens cannot contain You…” The heavens cannot contain Him because God is a greater reality than His creation.

ETERNITY IS FOR TODAY

Alright, here’s another way to perceive eternity; when Jesus supernaturally healed the sick, He called it a “sign.” Why is it a sign; why isn’t it just a healing? The answer lies in the reason the person actually got healed. Let me explain; a miracle happens when a superior ecosystem superimposes itself over a inferior ecosystem. In other words, a world that transcends the reality of the laws of physics and the laws of nature, (a world where there is no sickness, death or even aging), crashed in on the sick person, resulting in the infinite imposing its superior will on the finite.

Jesus explained it like this, “Heal the sick, cast out demons and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near you,” (Matthew 10). What is called a miracle in this realm, is the normal condition of the superior laws of the kingdom of God.

INFINITE RESOURCES OF HEAVEN

If you know God then you were born-again into this superior kingdom as a new creation. Your responsibility is to demonstrate the new science of a transcendent realm here on earth! I hope that today you understand that eternity and heaven are things we should be demonstrating on earth today. Think about the infinite goodness that lies in an infinite God. His love has no end, His resources are immeasurable, and as His kids we have access to all of that. Now let’s bring it on earth as it is in heaven! How do you operate from an eternal perspective? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Source: http://krisvallotton.com/eternity-matters-now-may-realize/

[modernsopher]

To the one who’s been brave long enough.

To the one who’s fighting to live when death seems near

To the one with a broken heart and slitted wrists

To the one who’s lips are sealed and tongue has been numb.

To the one who’s sleeping and silent crying are the same

To the one whom no one listens

To the one who feels living and dying has no difference

To the one who’s deeply exhausted and has no progress

To the one who never makes it

You are well.

You are loved.

You are the bravest human on earth because you continue to fight.

You can read this, you can also see the beauty that will come later on.

You may seem to wait endlessly in the dark place

You will recognize light even more.

You will be a light.

You may feel like drowning while everyone is still breathing

You may feel to sink and reach the bottom seems fair

You may have so little courage to go on

You wait for a moment, still.

You can fly.

You will soar.

You will do great things.

You will fulfill you purpose.

You will be enough.

You have a choice.

You have to believe once more.

You can.

[modernsopher]

Good.

A character I often heard about You.

A description my tongue often mention.

Easy to say, hard to keep.

This is encouraging for some people.

Empowering for some.

Yet I confess, it’s hard.

Saying is different than believing .

Yet I still choose to speak about it.

Even when I don’t understand.

Even when I don’t know what to do and my heart can’t find an anchor to Your promise.

Even if my mind tells me to give up and just be contented where I am

And my flesh is telling me to stay in this hopeless place.

And not move until I am numb of life.

The Lord is good, this I will still say.

Even my dreams are repeatedly shattered.

Even I don’t see any promises being fulfilled in my time.

Even everything inside me is hurting.

You are still good.

Even when I do not see Your hands

And I can’t connect to Your heart.

Even it’s always a night and there seems to be no mornings to come.

I will wait.

I will wait for that single star to shine to me a ray of light.

‘Cause You are good.

Even when I am slipping away.

And there’s no way to be made.

Even if the seas do not part

And I am drowning and the surrounding becomes blurry.

You are good.

I will believe.

I will force my heart to believe again.

I will talk to my soul and insist that You’re good

Till every fiber in my being hold on again.

That You are good.

You are good in every way.

[modernsopher]

At the end of every tiring working day, I had this verse in mind. But, I've realized I am seeing it the other way around. As I read Nehemiah, the joy of the Lord is the outcome of knowing HIM. When the Israelites first heard and understand the law (the law hasn't been known fully since Joshua's generation ended), they realized how far they have fallen from His standards, how they have hurt HIM is many ways, how they have not shown any worth to HIm and so they wept and wept. But the Lord said this verse. Yeah, HE knew our failures and sins but He doesn't want His people to stay sorrowful. He offers joy. JOY. In His compassion towards us, He offers us joy - the joy of being close to HIM, the joy of being in His care, the joy of being His child. Up unto this day, He is waiting for His people to take that offer and live fully. By hearing the law (His words of truth), Israelites were full of joy. "So the people went away to eat a festive meal and to send presents; it was a time of great and joyful celebration because they could hear and understand God’s words." - Nehemiah 8:12 Through His words, they also found STRENGTH to continue living. The old is gone, the new has come! Instead of dwelling on how filthy they are in the past, they celebrated for the forgiveness and loving kindness they have received. They have now the strength to be hopeful for every tomorrow since they knew that God's got them. God's love abounds. His grace transcends even to our future. We are loved and there's nothing we can do to make HIM love us less. That's where JOY and STRENGTH will come. The season may be dim, but take heart! The joy of the Lord will be your strength. #Jesus #devotions #joy #strength #love 📷 from @valster73

[modernsopher]

Lord, Whatever It Takes, Discipline Me

When I was a child, I asked my dad for a lot of things. But I never asked for discipline. Unfortunately, “I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child” (1 Corinthians 13:11). That meant, by and large, corrective and conditioning disciplines were to be avoided.

I enjoyed an orderly house, tended yard, prepared meals, clean clothes, and a loving, respectful, peaceful atmosphere in my boyhood home. But I didn’t naturally enjoy the disciplines required to achieve these things. I often sought to evade them. I also enjoyed the idea of performing well in school, sports, and music, but didn’t naturally enjoy many of the exercises required to develop my skills. I shirked them too often.

If my external authorities — my parents, teachers, and coaches — hadn’t wisely and lovingly imposed upon me unpleasant and often undesired disciplines, I never would have realized many of the benefits they brought me. And I would have realized even more benefits had I been mature and wise enough to appreciate and welcome their discipline more and avoid it less. I did not see, or did not believe, the long-term gain of short-term pain.

Maturity Welcomes Discipline

But “when I became a man, I gave up childish ways” of thinking about such discipline (1 Corinthians 13:11). Well, that’s an overstatement. However, I have learned to value the benefit of submitting to discipline far more than I did as a child and to welcome it — especially the discipline of the Lord.

Around age 20, I became keenly aware I was helpless to achieve the kinds of transformation I needed in my character and affections on my own. Even my efforts at self-discipline, while needed, still could not bridge the gap between what the Scripture described and my experience. So I began earnestly asking my heavenly Father to discipline me, whatever it took.

God lovingly answered with a convergence of events I never could have orchestrated or even imagined, resulting in a prolonged season of very difficult and painful spiritual wrestling. Not only did God work me over in areas I knew needed change, but he also addressed areas I wasn’t even aware of. Most wonderful of all, God met me in personal and powerful ways as he deepened and strengthened my faith. Afterward, I saw clearly how the benefits outweighed the painful struggles.

This experience has encouraged me in subsequent years to repeatedly pray, and at times fast, for my Father’s discipline when I’ve needed breakthroughs. And he has lovingly and faithfully answered. Some of his discipline has been more severe than that first one, and some less. But regardless, I have never regretted those prayers, nor have I stopped praying them. For through them, God has pressed my love for him to depths and heights I otherwise never would have known.

I’ve learned that asking God to discipline me is a Christian Hedonist’s prayer; it’s asking him for a greater capacity to enjoy him.

The Lord Disciplines the One He Loves

This is the whole point of Hebrews 12:3–11, the clearest explanation in the Bible of the profound good we receive when God disciplines us.

We often don’t recognize God’s discipline when it sets in, even if we’ve prayed for it. That’s because it usually looks different than we expect. Therefore, we cry out to God in our distress and disorientation. And God answers,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (Hebrews 12:5–6)

In other words, “Don’t be afraid. This is from me, and it’s because I love you.” We often respond, “But Father, this is too hard! Please stop!” And God replies,

It is for discipline that you have to endure. [I am] is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, [you] have had earthly fathers who disciplined [you] and [you] respected them. Shall [you] not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined [you] for a short time as it seemed best to them, but [I] discipline [you] for [your] good, that [you] may share [my] holiness. (Hebrews 12:7–10)

In other words, “I love you too much to stop the good coming to you through this discipline.” We might respond, “I want your good, Father, but I don’t think I can endure this! It’s too painful!” To which God says with kind, wise, loving firmness,

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

In other words, “Trust me. My grace will be sufficient for you in this pain and afterward you will never regret the painful training” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The Lord disciplines the one he loves. That means there are dimensions of God’s love we can only know through his discipline. And there are dimensions of peace and godly fruitfulness we will only know through his wise, rigorous training, a program individually tailored by him for us.

Whatever It Takes, Lord!

That’s why a Christian Hedonist prayerfully welcomes and even pursues the Father’s discipline. It is a sign of spiritual maturity, desiring real treasure more than passing pleasure (Hebrews 11:25–26).

If we wish to avoid our Father’s discipline, and don’t ask him for it for fear that he just might answer, we are thinking and reasoning like spiritual children. We are, in effect, saying “no thanks” to God’s offer of mind-blowing, soul-enriching, faith-strengthening, joy-increasing good — the inexpressible joy of sharing God’s holiness and all the benefits it brings. We decline the gain of being strengthened to comprehend the love of God that surpasses knowledge because it costs us short-term pain (Ephesians 3:18–19).

Article by Jon Bloom (Staff writer, desiringGod.org) 

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lord-whatever-it-takes-discipline-me

[modernsopher]

How often do you praise God while praying? How often do you stop asking and just start bragging on Him? How often do you pause to tell Him how incredible He is— that He is the greatest thing in your universe?

(via worshipmoment)

[modernsopher]

I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. (Philippians 4:12-13) #hitsmejustright #strength #courage #time #patience

[modernsopher]

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) . . . Been listening to pastor @stevenfurtick for weeks now and it has been a great time everytime God uses him to reveal things personally to me. Thank God I can have these preaching offline. Growing in Christ is fun! 😃 . . . Focus on who God is and what He is doing, leaving behind on what we are not and what we do not have. #relationshipmatters #focus (at Magdalena, Laguna)

[modernsopher]

You are one of the billions of people on our Earth.  Our Earth orbits the Sun in our Solar System.  Our Sun is one star among the billions in the Milky Way Galaxy.  Our Milky Way Galaxy is one among the billions of galaxies in our Universe.  You are unique in the Universe! ( https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/news-display.cfm?News_ID=573) #fact #nasa #unique #creation #godisgreat #galaxy #milkyway #planetearth #universe #amazed #inawe

[modernsopher]

Joyful Surrender. Being a Christian, it was easy to let our choices come from an attitude of duty rather than joyful surrender. We worked hard to wear God-honoring clothes, speak God-pleasing words, conduct daily living biblically. We're in the trap of getting things done right but all for the wrong reason. When these happen, we feel stressed about being right with God and we lose our joy. Yet the Bible reminds us that we don't have to exert our own effort for us not to stumble. Only Jesus Christ can save us (Jude 1:24). If we abide in Him, He'll remain in us, empowering us to do what we cannot and encouging us not to do what we unrighteously do. We should not make godly policies to obey but rather to simply abide in Jesus Christ (1 John 3:6). In the end, in terms of righteous living, we are to focus on our allegiance to Him and let Him do the rest by His grace. Our life that's pleasing to Him, would not be and would never be by our own strength but just an outflow of our relationship with Christ. -Excerpt from Lesly Ludy's Article 'The Beauty of True Setapartness, Choosing love over Legalism' (Note: This is paraphrased.) #joyful #surrender #relationship #christianity #obedience #love #allegiance #righteousness #feminity #setapart #godlyliving #whole #legalism

[modernsopher]

Louder then I’ll sing Your praise..

[modernsopher]

If you cannot appropriately replace his name with “love is patient, love is kind…” then he is not worth your time. He will either focus on getting you to Heaven or getting your clothes off. If you are convinced that the latter is true, run. You are firstly a soul and secondly a body, and if he really loved you he would wait with patience to connect to the second component of your being. You are sustained by your Creator, not His creation. Therefore no one will complete you; only compliment you. When a woman is truly loved her light shines brighter than before. If you feel suppressed, if he doesn’t remind you of your radiance and invite you to flourish, then what are you doing with him? You are a child of God. A boy should have introduced himself to both your Heavenly Father and your earthly father before winning your affections. Don’t make the same mistakes I did, baby girl.

Advice To My Little Sister// Godly Dating (via hischild-apoem)

[modernsopher]

Even in my mess, God is faithful. Even in my failures, God is faithful. Even in my darkest moments, God is faithful.

[modernsopher]

The greatest challenge I face every day of my life is probably the very one that you face every day…maintaining a close, personal, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. It is keeping Him first. Our number-one task as believers is to make sure that nothing—no “god,” person, object, task, duty, or pleasure—comes before Him in our priorities, in our plans, and in our affection.

Ron Mehl (via raininggrace)

Truth.

[modernsopher]

We were made to be prisms refracting the light of God's glory into all of life. ~ John Piper #light #colors #johnpiperquote #picoftheday #igersph #tumblrphoto

[modernsopher]

Dream

I had a dream. I had a dream of travelling in a place I want to be. But I don't know the place. I don't know how I got there. Everywhere I look there is light. There is joy. Then I heard a sound from the sea, like the sound of waves in the shore. It is peace. The birds singing as the leaves dance - making a great harmony. Hope. Then the light became darkness. The sky dimmed and slowly I see. One by one by one by one. Myriad are those twinkling light. They outnumbered my every nerve and the sand I was stepping on. I see bluish black going purple painting with live lights on it. It flashes. It shines. I fell in love. I forgot that I am but a wisher. I forgot who I was like. The burdens I was carrying fell as I looked up. The tears I had was wiped away. The pain I had is gone The sorrow has ended. As I fly. As I soar. The wind whispered. It cannot be heard by the ear. I heard it through the heart. A great someone not giving up on me. I am alive because He lives in me. He welcomes me. Well done. Good and faithful servant. Finally. I got home.

[modernsopher]

#Power in #prayer.