ETERNITY INSTINCT
Ecclesiastes 3:9-17
V. 11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:9-17
V. 11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
On July 12, 1997, I witnessed a boat load of people stare in hushed reverence. A grown humpback whale swam toward our boat from the open sea. Her young calf frolicking by her side, curious by our boat. Mom, patiently tolerant, hesitated for a moment before surging near. When her calf dove deep into the water, she swam next to our boat, her eyes peering into ours.
When my eyes locked hers, I felt a developing bond. I hoped that my eyes telepathed awe and thanks to her. Validating my thrill, a tingle spiraled up my spine. She must have peered into the eyes of each person on our boat.
She played with us, swimming back and forth, waving her fin, both right side up and upside down. Cameras clicked before our new friends disappeared from sight. Was everyone as thrilled as I was at this awesome gift? Was anyone unchanged after this delight?
The author of Ecclesiastes, possibly Israel’s King Solomon, around 1000, B.C., saw the world’s beauty with dazzling clarity. Noticing the awesome creation around him, he wrote that God “has set eternity in the hearts of men.” How astute of King Solomon! He not only wondered at God’s creation, but also forecast long-term human experience.
We humans thrive when living life as fully as possible—so that when death takes us—we have no regrets. How many humans find life’s pleasures so alluring that they devote every living moment in their pursuit? How many chase sinful enjoyment rather than wholesome delights? Is eternity blotted out in their hearts?
When does it dawn on mankind that worldly pleasures ultimately do not satisfy? God’s creation is too breathtaking for humans to absorb in one lifetime. Only by living godly lives do God’s kids secure His promises—not only in this life, but in the life to come (1Timothy 4:8).
Valuing sinful desires yield lives that are unfulfilled and anguished.
Take Home Nugget
I disembarked the boat that day in July a changed individual. My instinct to eagerly experience the magnificence of eternity’s delight is driving my earthly pursuit of righteousness.
Do you think that having eternity in your heart is a spiritual experience?
J.D. Griffith
Amid the measured music
What watchful ear to hear
God’s voice amidst the garden?
Yet hush! For He is here!
Charles
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