Perfect Environment
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All of time, from beginning to end, is one elaborate classroom.
In His infinite wisdom, God is teaching us the object lessons
that must accompany us into the eternal state. One of those
lessons is our utter dependency upon Him for our blessing and
happiness. Certainly, tactile pleasures and material refinements can stimulate our senses, provide a temporary state of euphoria or content, but the fragile structure of human well-being is promptly displaced by adversity or suffering when they intrude into our lives. Only sustained faith in God, whatever our circumsstances, can give us endurance in life's exigencies and an indestructable sense of security. It is the sense of destiny that comes of an eternal perspective, our perpetuation as creatures in the presence of our Lord, that girds our spirit in desperate times and relieves us of the desperate urge to make this, our temporal visitation to this world, the highest attainment of our existence. For us, whose future is assured by the scarifice of Jesus Christ, this world is a battleground, the arena where the powers of good and evil are arrayed at war. It was never God's intention that we languish in the comforts of an ideal existence here, for we are sent forth to represent Him among men in this great conflict. Although He has arranged for us to inherit the spiritual stature that assures our resilience under stress and enjoy life regardless of our plight, the frontiers of paradise are yet ahead for us. We can find comfort in this fact; that what we may lack in the material goods of this world, regret opportunities we may never have, but these are a passing landmark in our everlasting life. These tawdry trappings will will one day be put aside forever, and we will embark upon an endless journey in a body of light, before God, without the tears and pain we know so well here. A significant aspect of our education in this life is the realization that no facet of a corrupt domain can convey the blessings that our spiritual essence requires for a fulfilling journey in time. Even though Adam and Ishah dwelled in Eden, the true Utopia, they found ocassion to invent their own demise. But for the mercy of a gracious and loving Creator, all men would be damned by their transgression. Niether God's infinite love for his creatures, nor the ideal environment, were adequate to sustain an everlasting life without sin for man. Only the imputation of Divine righteousness, an attribute we are given at salvation, will elevate us to a plateau where no sin is possible. That most desirable ambience will overtake us only when we depart this dark place and shed this body of corruption. It strikes me as ironic that God would schedule another period of perfect environment for man during the entire Millenium, the final 1,000 years of human history. It were as if He is demonstrating that this coveted objective that so many in the world strive to reach, scarifice freedom and human comfort for, is no more than a chimera, a sterile and meaningless attainment. This will be His last episode in the human drama, one we shall all witness in paradise, as well as those who remain behind for the closing installment of His plan. There is one, and only one, source of everlasting delight. God. |