Ecclesiastes 3:11 - The Beauty of Eternity In Our Hearts.
Ecclesiastes 3:11: The Beauty of Eternity In Our Hearts.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV) He has made everything beautiful in its
time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can
fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT) Yet God has made everything beautiful
for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but
even so, people cannot see the whole scope of Gods work from
beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMP) He has made everything beautiful in its
time. He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a
divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which
nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot
find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
COMMENTARY PEARL
I have no navigational skills whatsoever. Im always
getting lost, so I like to use a GPS. But people have been misled when
using a GPS. I read about a Boston woman who made a right turn onto
railroad tracks at the direction of her GPS. Even worse, her van got
stuck on the tracks. She and her kids were able to get out safely
before the van was hit by a commuter train.
In Oregon, a couple got stranded for three days in the snow
because they followed the directions of their GPS onto a remote road
that was impassable. They spent two nights stuck in the wilderness.
I think GPS really stands for get potentially stranded. It
can get you into trouble.
God has created certain animals with what we call a homing
instinct, or a built-in GPS. And God has placed a homing instinct in us as
human beings uniquely made in the image of God. We dont know what
it is at first. But we know this much. From the moment we are born,
we are on a quest.
It starts with toys. We think if only we had a certain toy,
then we would be happy. Then we get older. We think a certain
position or relationship or thing will make us happy. Then hopefully we
discover that what were really looking for is God. We have a homing
instinct for Heaven. We have a homesickness for a place weve never
been before. God wired us that way.
The Bible says that God has planted eternity in the human
heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT). Once we figure this out, once we
realize that our ultimate destination as followers of Jesus is Heaven,
it changes the way that we think, and it changes the way that we
live. [By Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
INTRODUCTION
Look around you. Are people ever completely satisfied? Who
has enough money? Who has a perfect marriage or family relationship?
Who has perfect health? Who has all of his or her desires fulfilled?
We are always searching for more.
King Solomon had everything under the sun, but nothing truly
satisfied him. And like Solomon, even if we had it all, we would discover
that deep within is a need that nothing can fill. That need is a
desire for something eternal, for something more than what we find from
day to day. God planted that desire in us, and only he can satisfy
it.
So we search for him. And as his Word promises, when we
search with all our hearts, we will find him. And when we find him, we
can't help but respond in love and worship. As you respond in worship,
thank God for giving you purpose in life and hope for something beyond
this life, Worship allows us to experience a glimpse of the glory
that awaits us in heaven. [The One Year Bible for New Believers]
COMMENTARY
Think about the promise of Ecclesiastes 311, "he has made
everything beautiful in its time." This signifies that there will be
unavoidable things in your life that appear to be ugly, unwanted, and
uncomfortable. No doubt, there are issues that immediately spring to
mind--there's nothing good about them as far as you can see.
Perhaps that's because there are just too many overwhelming
unknowns about your situation that blind you to the good God is doing. Or
maybe you're simply so bogged down and disheartened by your load that
you can't imagine it ever getting any better. Don't be surprised
that there are supposed to be seasons like that in your life (see l
Pet. 4:12, 13).
Why does God burden us with such times? The second part of
Ecclesiastes 311 teaches, "He has put eternity in their-hearts, except that
no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to
end. Verse 14 adds, "Whatever God does, it shall be forever."
Though you may never know everything God is doing in your
life, you can always count on the fact that God is preparing your
heart for eternity. Second Corinthians 4:17 says, "Our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Your seasons of trials - however
long and heavy they may seem - are brief and light compared to the
great things God is doing in you (see Rom. 8:18-21, 28),
As you've been promised in Ecclesiastes 3:11, this difficult
situation will eventually be beautiful in your sight. Is that hard for you
to envision? It's okay - because God's wonderful plans for you are
by definition beyond imagination (see Eph. 3:20, 21). So until you
see God's lovely workmanship taking shape in your circumstances,
just hold on to His promise. Eventually, this season will be over,
and you'll find that it was all worth it. [Life Principles SB By
Charles Stanley re Ecc. 3:1-14]
God is writing a story. But like all great stories, its full
of ups and downs, twists and turns, and impossible situations that
seem to have no possible solution. No one is moved by a story with
perfect characters and a few bumps in the road, but grand epics with
plenty of humor and drama and happy endings are inspiring. That's the
kind of story God is writing. And each one of us is in the middle of
it.
Many people have chosen to judge God in the middle of the
story. That's easy to do; if any fictional character could talk to his
author, he would likely have plenty of complaints about the brutality of
the plot. That plot often seems to go in the wrong direction, but
the character doesn't yet see the end. If he could, he would be
encouraged. But when everything looks bleak, as all good plots do at times,
we tend to judge the author for letting us down.
God makes everything beautiful in its time. The Kingdom story
doesn't end in the middle, when everything looks bleak. It doesn't leave
us hanging in impossible situations, wondering how we might
possibly survive and lamenting that the enemy seems to get away with
everything. No, this plot is the kind that intrigues audiences with its
twists, amazes us with its resolution, and provokes thunderous applause
at the end. We might be sitting on the edge of our seats and biting
our nails all the way through, but when it's over, we exhale and
talk about it being the best story ever. It's beautiful - in its
time.
Trust God in the middle of the story. Don't draw any
conclusions until you see what His conclusions look like. Know that the plot
ends well, and whatever obstacle you're facing today is a normal
twist for a great storyteller like God. We are not living in the midst
of a tragedy; the Kingdom story is both stunning and satisfying.
And it's beautiful in its time. [The One Year Heaven On Earth
Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Maybe you were blessed to have a dad or mom who read fairy
tales to you when you were a child. Most of us can remember the last
few words of each story: "And they lived happily ever after." No one
had to explain what those words meant. We just knew. We understand
those words because today's Scripture explains that "[God] has also
set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has
done from beginning to end." God has placed within us a strong sense
of "happily ever after," and yet there are things about life today
we simply can't fathom. Yes, we were made for eternity - and it's
in the deepest places of our hearts. We were also made for earth,
however, and earth is no fairy tale. But the true Prince has kissed you
with His peace, and He has promised that, together with Him, you will
one day live happily ever after.
Lord, we long for happy endings. We long for reconciled
marriages, the return of prodigal children, and the cure for cruel diseases
that tear loved ones from us. But many of those happy endings are out
of reach. Fill my heart today with thoughts of my eternal home,
where there will be no endings at all. [A Spectacle of Glory by Joni
Eareckson Tada and Larry Libby]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo [old, but one of the best]
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Restoring The Power by John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Last Day Prophecy: His Other Sheep by Pastor Gerald Babanezhad:
https://vimeo.com/162267518
