JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is to see the eternal perspective from God’s point-of-view.
If our focus is only on today, or on matters in this present life, we are only seeing part of the picture. God has an eternal plan, and His desire is to be with His people forever in a place of pure joy and absolute peace.
In Psalm 73, Asaph admitted that his feet almost slipped. He wrote, “I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
When he saw how they lived a care-free life and prospered, he thought he kept his heart pure in vain, and he was troubled.
His perspective changed when he entered the sanctuary of God. In a place of worship, he understood their final destiny. His faith was strengthened when he realized that God guided him with His counsel, and afterward, God would take him into glory.
An Eternal Perspective is a Vital Step to a Radiant Faith that makes a difference in our world.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Psalm 90, verse 2.
Before the mountains were born, or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
How do you comprehend an infinite God with a finite mind? We cannot fully grasp His eternal nature, or understand all His ways. He sees reality from a higher perspective, and He also sees reality from an eternal perspective. His view of time is different than ours. Moses wrote that a thousand years in God’s sight are like a day that has just gone by.
Even though we cannot fully comprehend God, He fully understands us. He made us. He has provided a way for us to know Him better and to live in a peaceful relationship with Him forever. Jesus is our way to the Father.
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to a place of awe-inspiring worship in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK-Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “What does it mean to live with an eternal perspective?”
The Apostle Paul said in Second Corinthians 4:18, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Living with an eternal perspective acknowledges that there is more to this life than what we see in this world. If our trust is in the things we see, then we are living with a false sense of security, because the things we see around us will eventually pass away.
The invisible qualities of God’s Kingdom will outlast our physical lives on earth. Faith, hope, and love last forever. God’s word lasts forever. Heaven lasts forever. Jesus Christ lives forever. And if our hope is in Jesus, our souls will last forever with Him.
Revelation 22:21 is the last verse of the Bible, revealing the eternal view of God’s Kingdom in a place of peace and security: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”
This is where our hope is ultimately found in the Year of Exploration.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the purpose of life and the promotion of heaven.
The Apostle Paul lived with this eternal perspective in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Paul lived with the perspective that as long as he lived in his body, and as long as God gave him breath, his service for God would mean fruitful labor. He knew that the church would benefit from his ministry. Paul was committed to laboring for the Lord so that the church would make progress and experience joy in their faith.
Yet, internally, Paul was torn. His heart was where his treasure was. His treasure was Jesus. His longing was to be with Christ. He knew that death was a promotion into the presence of the Lord forever.
As we follow Jesus with a sincere heart, we also are likely to feel this type of internal struggle. That is a normal reaction for the person who loves Jesus in the midst of a world that loves sin. But with an eternal perspective, we acknowledge that God has placed us here on the earth “for such a time as this” to live for Christ and make Him known.
For the follower of Christ, our purpose in life and promotion to heaven is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
