It’s What You Were Created For!

Devotional for July 2, 2011

This is not our permanent place of residence. This is not what we were created to live in. This is not our final destination. By “this” I mean this world, this life, this reality we’re living in right now. I doubt if any atheists read these devotionals, but nevertheless, I have an excellent analogy to share just in case there is any doubt in someone’s mind about this life and our true final destination.

Suppose you could have a conversation with an embryo while he is still in his mother’s womb. Let’s say that you were to tell him that this life he is experiencing is just something temporary. There is another one to follow and that his current one is actually short compared to the next. Then imagine he would answer with skepticism saying that you are speaking foolishly, and there is nothing beyond what he is experiencing and in fact, he is perfectly fine accepting his truth.

What if when the embryo grew into a fetus, he would remember the conversation and observe things changing in himself? Suppose he would ponder, “Here arms grow on me. I do not need them. I cannot even stretch them. Why do they grow? Could it be that they grow for a future stage of my existence, in which I would have to work with them? Legs also grow, but I have to keep them bent toward my chest. Why do they grow? Perhaps life in a large world follows where I will have to walk. Eyes grow even though I am surrounded by complete darkness. Why do I have eyes? I wonder if life in a world with light and colors will follow.”

So, if a fetus could reflect on his own development, he could see life outside of his mother’s womb as a possibility and even reasonable. So it is with us. As long as we are young, we have strength and energy, but our mind is not yet equipped to wisely take advantage of such vigor. As we grow older in years, we also grow in knowledge and wisdom, but our physical body becomes weak and frail. Why? Are our minds to develop only to take us to the grave? Why does an embryo grow into a fetus and a fully developed baby? It is for what follows…and we too are being prepared for what follows. We grow in experience, knowledge and wisdom for a greater purpose. It is to prepare us to serve on a higher level that follows death. (Story is adapted from Richard Wurmbrand’s, Tortured for Christ.)

For we know that

if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,

we have a building from God,

an eternal house in heaven,

not built by human hands.

2 Corinthians 5:1

Isn’t it a beautiful analogy? We truly are being prepared for what follows because this is not our final destination. We were created to live a much greater life in a world we cannot even fathom. We were created to live in eternity with Christ. This brings to my mind another great Christian man of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis.

Lewis spoke about us being eternal creatures stuck in time. It’s a struggle for us to live in time. It sometimes makes no sense to us. When time and separation passes between visits with loved ones, we seem to be surprised to see a child has grown up, or a young adult has become mature. Many of us struggle to be on time. We look at the clock and observe that we have plenty of time before an event in order to get ready, but before we know it, we’re 5 minutes late. While we’re working, time goes by slow, but while we’re playing, it goes by quickly. Why? Why do we struggle to have a sense of time? Why do we not have a clock ticking inside of our brains constantly reminding us that we are living in time? The answer is because we are eternal creatures.

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

We are truly created for a greater purpose, a greater life outside of time, when our minds are fully ready to process the wonders of that life with Jesus forever. This life is not only a prerequisite to another, but it is temporary. However, too many think and live as if they have eternity to make a decision to believe and follow the One who longs to welcome us into our final destination.

We may be eternal creatures, but the truth is, we are now living in time and time will run out. This brings one more point to my mind. In the book of Exodus is the story of the first Passover. As God was in the process of freeing His people, now large enough to become a nation, from the yoke of slavery in Egypt, He poured out the final plague on Pharaoh and the Egyptians. It was death of the first born. The children of Israel had specific instructions to follow in order for the Lord to pass over their households so they would not suffer the plague of death. Of all the wonderful lessons to be learned from that story, what comes to my mind right now is how they were told to accomplish all of their duties with their staff in hand, their garment tucked into their belt, and their sandals on their feet. Why? They were to be prepared. They were to be prepared to leave one life and enter into another life…free from slavery.

Now, it’s true, as Christians we are no longer slaves to sin, but living in this life we are forced to remain in a world that is fallen. However, Jesus tells us to be ready. Always be ready for His coming, for in a twinkling of an eye we will be caught up with Him to be taken to the banquet table of the bride and the Bridegroom. We will be at the celebration of the marriage feast of the church body, the body of Christ, and our Lord and Savior! What a glorious day!

Do you have your staff? Are your sandals on? Are you ready to leave this temporary life and enter eternity? I’m sure if you are reading this, you know that you were not created for one life only and then to simply rot in the dirt alone. You were created for something much greater, more beautiful than you can imagine and it’s to last forever! You don’t want to miss out on it. Be ready!

You also must be ready,

because the Son of Man will come

at an hour when you do not expect him.

Luke 12:40

Amie Spruiell 7/1/2011