"One hour of eternity,
one moment with the Lord,
will make us utterly forget a lifetime of desolations."
~ Horatio Bonar
one moment with the Lord,
will make us utterly forget a lifetime of desolations."
~ Horatio Bonar
One Hour of Eternity
I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of YAH.
YAH has chastened me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
~ Psalms 118:17-18 (author)
"But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made... Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt."
~ Matthew 18:25,27 (NKJV)
Has any one of us really contemplated an eternity of death?
Think of the very worst pain of body, brokenness of heart, confusion of mind, and anguish of soul. Combine them all, then imagine enduring them while utterly alone, with no end of time in sight. This only begins to hint at a future apart from God.
We and our children were marked to be sold into death for our debt of sin. Our Master had compassion on us and made us heirs of life.
We still live in a world where we experience the consequences—the chastening—for sin. But we are not given over to death. No matter what suffering we endure here, it is less than the penalty which was our due.
And YHWH passed in front of Moses, proclaiming,
"YWHH! YHWH is God compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
maintaining love to thousands,
and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin."
Exodus 34:6-7 (author)
Should it not be our highest privilege, greatest pleasure, and deepest passion to declare the works of YAH?
Oh YAH, how great a debt from which You have released us who are Christ's! We shall not die but live because of Your great compassion and love. Whatever may befall us, please let us never fail to praise Your name.
Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to
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Amen, amen, amen. I want to praise Him with all I am. Breathe Him in deeply, blow out the world, and all of its impurities.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, Anne, the power with which you proclaim God's Truths overwhelms me. This is one of those times.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you on this worshipful Sunday. How I love to gather with the saints and lift His Name!
I missed church today and I'm feeling horrible for it. After reading your post I'm thrilled to know eternity will more than make up for my discretion.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of eternity is so unnatural for me. And honestly, ANY eternity (heaven or hell) is a little unnerving. I simply am not built to understand a life that is not marked by time or space. think about it very long, and your brain will explode!
ReplyDeleteBut love the idea of starting to train for eternity right now.
Annie, this post really moved my heart. You have reminded me of just how much I want the lost ones in my life to know Jesus! While I think of these people frequently, my concern for their salvation unfortunately, (and all too often) has become almost apathetic in my day to day life. I want salvation for them today! not in God's timing. My heart is more broken in this moment than it has been in a while for these lost souls! You never know how your posts might persuade someone, but know that you have motivated me to be in passionate prayer for these precious souls!
ReplyDeleteDenise, your words of breathing Him in and breathing out the world are absolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGwen, how happy I am to overwhelm you not with creation, but with the Creator. : )
T. Anne, if you feel bad for missing church, do so not out of duty, but only because it was His will and you missed out today on a slice of eternity. He loves you no less for it.
David, interestingly enough, the Hebrew word for "everlasting" is olam. It does not mean infinity, but simply too far away in time or distance to be seen. For more, see my post "El Olam."
Mary, I try to never give up on people. Even when my head says, "lost cause," my heart isn't willing to quit praying when it remembers a man named "Bill," for whom we never quit praying. He's one of the people on the other side I most look forward to seeing. Meredith is one of the people who gives me most joy on this side.
I've always loved those words: You shall not die, but live! Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteEllie, what I love best about these words is that they are for every day! How glorious a salvation we have!
ReplyDelete