For thought and meditation

[rl69]

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He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.—Ecclesiastes 3:11 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=8a1b46314c&e=3dd732485b)I read a story about a little dog named Mugsy, who was crossing the street one day and was tragically hit by a truck. His heartbroken owners buried him in the pet cemetery. They were sad they would never see their precious little pooch again.

But much to their surprise three days later, Mugsy was scratching at the back door. They could hardly believe their eyes. They opened the door and Mugsy came in, covered with dirt but breathing. They had buried him alive, but the industrious little pooch clawed his way out and found his way home.

Then I read another story about a cat named Clem. He left home one day, and his owners thought that was the end of him. But eight years later, Clem showed up, walked inside the house, and jumped into his favorite chair. They thought it couldn't possibly be Clem. But when they pulled out old pictures of Clem for comparison, there was no question. Clem had returned home.

God has built a homing instinct into the animal kingdom, but He also has put this inside every human being as well. It's a sense there is something more to life. You see, mankind has been created uniquely in the image of God. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/x-apple-data-detectors://2) says that He put eternity in our hearts.

Because of this, we never will be fully satisfied in this life. No matter what we achieve, no matter how many of our goals we reach, there always will be something missing.

When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, not only will you have a life that is worth living, not only will you find the meaning of life, but you also will have the hope of life beyond the grave. That is life during life—and life after death

[USMC87]

The only hope we have is life eternal.

[Blackwater]

Wow! This coincides with my long standing perception that we all have something inside us that senses what we cannot see, and that all of us, even professing atheists, really and truly know the Truth inside us. It's there because God put it there. A loving God would never have made us without some sort of "compass" to keep us pointed in the right direction, or at least that's my belief. We can, with our free will, distort and overcome that inner, innate knowledge if we try hard enough, but that doesn't mean it's not there. Just that it's been overcome.

This allows us, when witnessing, to use that little tidbit and assume that the folks we're witnessing to really DO know the Truth, whether they're willing to admit it or not. This can make a difference in how we approach and handle them, and often, it'll be an asset in doing so. If nothing else, it gives us confidence that they actually DO know what we're talking about, even if they obfuscate and avoid issues at some points. And in witnessing, we need all the assets we can bring to our efforts.

I've had a few look at me a bit suspiciously when I've explained this. It's not in the "Official Baptist Theology Guide," if there is one, and many are more steeped in theology than they are in real search for true understanding and edification. I guess I'm just a bit out of step with many of faith? I guess I can handle that. My focus is on understanding my Lord, not in the theology of others. I figure if my search is for understanding my Lord, He'll provide me, sooner or later, with the answers I seek. And too, too much of the theology I've read is so boring and dry, while the search for understanding and knowing my Lord is so exciting and vital and real, I guess I'm a little prejudiced? I started reading theological stuff early, and never found it edifying to a satisfying extent. Most of it was about what for me was settled issues. But as written, I thirsted for more, and for me if for nobody else, I never found most theological writings very edifying.

But it clearly DOES have its rightful and necessary place, though, and only a fool would deny that! But I do also think that we spend way more time in theology, when we would spend our time more wisely by simply contemplating the Bible and its uncountable meanings and significancies to us. (shrug) I have no problem with theologians. I just never got much out of a great deal of it. But that's just me, of course. At the time, I believe I simply didn't have the necessary prerequisites to understand it properly maybe? But mostly, it really just didn't address the questions I was seeking answers to. Now that many of those answers have been given to me, I appreciate it much more than I once did, an am in a much better position to understand it so much better than I once did.

We have to be PREPARED to receive the messages that God wants us to receive. And for some of us, that takes a while. But when we DO become prepared ..... Katy barr the door! Things just start flowing in, if we read and think about the right things. What a revelation THAT is!