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“My mistake wasn’t in thinking that God is going to use me for something BIG. It was in limiting God to these 80 or so years I have here on earth to make that BIG happen.”
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 195.
Do you know how long eternity is? It is a really long time. When it comes to time and the understanding of what time means, perspective is such a critical thing to have.
My son-in-law was born and raised in the UK. He has helped me see the importance of perspective when it comes to time. I often see the look on his face when I say some structure in our state is old. I once asked him what that smile meant when I was pointing out some antiquity to him. He said, that compared to structures in the UK, the age of everything in the US is nothing short of young.
He is so right. Old to one person is something quite different than to another. Anything, like age, that relies on time has to be discussed from a consistent framework or the discussion won’t make any sense. That is just as true when the life span of a person is taken into account.
I believe much of the thinking that has made us into a Victim-Based Society stems from the fact that we view time from the perspective of our time here on earth. Eighty or so years is but a drop in the bucket when it comes to eternity. Yet, we live this life thinking that we have such a short time to get so much done. That kind of thinking drives us to actions that threaten to make victims all around us.
Our Bible reading today paints a powerful picture of eternity. More importantly, take a look at the role of identity when it comes to forever.
May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! Psalm 72:17 (ESV)
Psalm 17 is a chapter written by Solomon. Solomon is said to be the wisest man to have ever lived. He is writing this Psalm as a blessing on the King of Israel. This is a position he will hold before his time on earth is done.
In this chapter of the Bible, Solomon paints a picture of entreaty when it comes to the reign and the name of the king. It is an allusion to the reign and name of our King – God Himself. I don’t think Solomon is overstepping his bounds when he asks God to bless the King with staying power. I believe Solomon is showing us how we are to live when it comes to time. Solomon is working from an eternal perspective when it comes to blessing. I think we are to do the same.
I found a quote from Rick Warren that highlights my point. Pastor Rick says; "When you live in the light of eternity, your values change." There is so much truth in that statement. If we view our purpose, and the time we have to make that purpose happen, in light of our earthly existence, our values are going to be such that victimization can’t help but to be the result. When we view purpose from an eternal perspective, our values work to make victors of all we come into contact with on this journey called life.
When we think that we have but a hand full of decades to live out our destiny, we can become driven. Relationships can take a back seat. The needs of loved ones become distractions to a purpose that makes those needs pale by comparison. It is so easy to step on and over people when we think that time is short to make purpose happen.
When we view the time we have to make purpose happen from an eternal perspective, things change. Distractions become opportunities to serve. Purpose takes on an entirely different meaning when eternity is how we view the time we have to make that purpose happen. When eternity is what drives our view of time, even our failures take on a power that just can’t happen when we feel pressed for time to get life moving like we think it should.
God isn’t pressed by time. Why should we be. This doesn’t mean that we waste the precious time we have here on earth. At the same time, we don’t horde that time in ways that exclude those God might be bringing into our path for eternal purposes. Don’t let time be your taskmaster. You have all the time in the world. That’s the reality a victor has at their disposal. They are eternal! Live a life of eternal consequence as you let forever be the basis from which your destiny happens.
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