Articles
Great Things
Great Things
I love watching college football on television and many times, I have sat late into the evening watching a game in which the momentum would shift back and forth until the final whistle. Often as I turn the television off, I say to myself, that was a great game. As I write these words, the thought occurs that all of us are heard from time to time referring to some event in life as being great.
While we are blessed with those temporal events that are exciting and talk about how great they were, I submit to you that the greatest things in our lives today are not those momentary, fleeting experiences. I, for one, believe the greatest things in our lives today are those that are eternal, lasting forever. To me, the greatest things of life center around those things that pertain to God and the beautiful home he has prepared for us because they are not measured or limited by time.
1 Corinthians 13:13, “But faith, hope, love abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” There is no doubt in my mind that love is one of the greatest and most powerful things in life. Love makes things happen. Love makes and keeps families together, both physically and spiritually. Sometimes love even makes us do foolish things. All our duties, our obligations are summed up in the word love (Mark 12:30-31, John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:7-8). If everyone loved God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, if everyone loved their neighbor as they love themselves, if everyone loved each other, what a great world this would be.
One of the greatest purposes in life is to glorify God in everything we say and do (Matthew 5:14-16, Rom. 15:5-6, 1 Cor. 6:20. 1 Cor. 10:31). 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever. Amen.” We honor and glorify our King immortal by praising him for his great love, goodness, mercy, kindness, compassion, patience and longsuffering, all of which we are the recipients of in abundance. Throughout our entire life on this earth, we should be shouting and singing praises to him (Psalms 146:1-2).
The greatest joy that can fill our hearts is the joy of salvation (Acts 8:37-39, Philippians 4:4). Just knowing that one day our eternal soul will find rest in a home where we will be free from all the burdens and cares that trouble our hearts today should fill our hearts with joy beyond measure (John 14:1-3, 2 Cor. 5:1-4, Rev. 21. 3-4). With an unspeakable joy, we press on each day toward that home (1 Pet. 1:3-9, Rom. 15:13. Jude 24-25).
Our greatest ambition as we walk the pathway of life should center on being absent from this earthly home and being at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:6-10). A long time ago, I came to the conclusion that wherever you go in this life, whatever you do, with whomever you find yourself with, there still is just no place like home. As much as I believe this to be true in the temporal realm, I believe it to be a far greater truth in the spiritual realm (Phil.1:21, Rev. 14:13). What a glorious journey this will be for us with our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting and confiding in him as we press on toward the day we will fly away to the land where joys shall never end (90:10, John 14:1-3, 1 John 3:1-4). To God be the glory!
Charles Hicks, Gallatin Tennessee
