The Problem of Eternity in our Hearts

About a week ago I had to visit an oral surgeon. Jeff made me go.On the basis of cost and experience I decided to only have local anesthetic. After all I had done it once when I was young. As I slid into the chair I asked the Lord if he could just make it come out easily, but if not to grant me strength and patience. It did not pop out yet I had an unusual calmness and strength of patience as he worked with various tools to “git r done.”

As I reflected back on the experience I thought of the various questions that could have come to mind: 

• Why didn’t it go easier? (It would have saved money)
• Didn’t you care about my pain? 
• Do you really listen? Do you really care?
• Isn’t there a payoff for being a Christian?
• What did I do to deserve this?
•  I just want to know?

Questions:

I thought about another place of questions, questions for the one who was made in the image of God, one whose only boundary was not to eat of one tree in the whole of the garden. 

• "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"
•  Of course not, it's only the one tree that has consequence. Eat there and we will die.
• "No way. You won't die." God just said that because he didn't want you to know everything he does. He'd rather keep you in a box, a goody two-shoes.

I thought of another place of questions, questions in the wilderness in the midst of great need.

• If you are the Son of God (prove your identity);Make bread miraculously (use of scripture)
  Jump from the temple (misuse of scripture by the tempter and scripture to correct) 
• Now a slight change in the question: If you will kneel (I will give you all the kingdoms of the world) Get lost! (Correct use of Scripture)

Which brought me to 1 Jn. 2:15-17: “Do not love the world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers ONLY a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who pleases God will live forever.”

“Do not make the measuring stick” for the fullness of your life, the world and the things within it.

It cancels out the love of the Father (Think Cancel Culture)

Here’s the problem: When the measuring stick of our heart is:The Craving for physical pleasure

• The Craving for physical pleasure
• The Craving for everything we see
• Pride is based on our achievements
• Pride is based on what we own
• We live in a power base system of comparison.

We demand the world give us what it cannot. Because of eternity in our hearts our deepest desires cannot be met by anything the world is, let alone has. When we can’t get what we desire – we blame the design and ultimately the Designer.

This conclusion takes us to Ecclesiastes 1-3.

Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Everything is meaningless (absurd),” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless (absurd)”

• Eccl. Identifies 10 common measuring sticks for the “good life”: Wisdom, work, possessions, status, companionship, fame, money, long life, food and desire.
• The Teacher searches for life’s meaning and each of these areas, denying himself nothing in pursuit of wisdom.
• Each time he comes up against a wall of absurdity: meaningless, illogical outcome –it makes no sense.
• These things are of the earth and cannot fill the hunger for the eternal in our hearts.

The Burden God has given to men’s hearts: Eccl. 3:10 “I have seen the burden God has placed on 

            us all."

• Life does what life does and we do not know when it will do what. Eccl.3:1-8
• God has made everything beautiful in its own time. Eccl.3:11a
• We're made with eternity in our hearts and can't know the end from the beginning.(scope) 3:11b
• God made it that way so that we would seek him. Eccl. 3:14b 
• “God’s purpose is that people should seek him.”

Ecclesiastes and John 1 agree.

                The world and all that is in it is unable to fill the deepest longing of our heart.

The Teacher concludes the world and all that is within it can “give no more than the ability to enjoy than to enjoy food and drink and find satisfaction in our work. Then I realized even these pleasures are from the hand of the Lord. For who can enjoy anything apart from him?” Eccl. 2:24-25; 3:12-13

Questions

Did you notice all the questions and questioning in the relationship between us and God? Questions are the key to open our hearts, man’s heart. Satan clearly knows this. The Teacher clearly knows this. Jesus clearly knows this. Socrates clearly knows this. Altar invitations clearly know this. Science clearly knows this. All of life knows this. But beware. All questioners and questions are not created equal. Notice some questions are capable of begging the question, aiming you to a specific logical trap. Jesus was a master at answering what lay at the heart of the question. Let the Spirit of God and his Word teach you the skill of pausing to think behind the question and to answer out of a heart living in Christ Jesus and bathed in the Word. Remember:

“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure.

 But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving,

because THEIR MINDS AND CONSCIENCES ARE CORRUPTED.” Titus 1:15

LIFE ASKS NO QUESTIONS THAT FAITH CANNOT ANSWER.”

“Faith is not a precarious affair of chance escape from Satanic assault.

It is the solid, massive secure experience of God,

who keeps all evil from getting inside us, who guards our life,

who guards us when we leave and when we return,

who guards us now, who guards us always.”

A Long Obedience in the Right Direction – Peterson. p.44.