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Week 3: Eternity in Their Hearts

 

“What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.” Ecclesiastes 3:9-15

Come with me friends as we look at what God has put into our hearts.

I love the phrase “eternity in their hearts.” It speaks to me that I am called to something more than what is here on earth. {verse 11}

The way C.S. Lewis puts it speaks deeply to my soul. He says this, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

I don’t know about you, but this rings true in my own heart as I feel this deep longing for something….more.

Solomon has been telling us this so far in Ecclesiastes, hasn’t he? He is longing for something more and nothing he is finding is even beginning to satisfy.

And while I love the phrase eternity in their hearts, is there any hope for the here and now – the not yet there part? As we look in these verses we find the answer— a resounding yes. Yes, we will have that longing for our future life in heaven that promises no more suffering or pain as well as deep fulfillment – but there is also a great God who can satisfy our hearts in the here and now.

We are reminded that God is holy and has made everything beautiful in its time. {verse 11}

His ways are forever and ever, and His plan is outside of time. {verse 14}

And man can enjoy all the great blessings for which God has gifted him because they are, after all, gifts from HIM. {verse 13}

So how does this work out practically in our every day life? How do we take what we learn and read and apply it to now?

  1. We praise God for his holiness. We actively take our eyes off of ourselves and our circumstances {our groanings} and turn our eyes to Him because we trust that He has a plan. We might not understand His plan, but just knowing that He stands outside of time and outside of our life and its stresses can give us a calm that passes understanding.
  2. We thank Him for what He is doing in our lives and especially for the times when we try and try to find something to satisfy us and come up short. We thank Him for those times because they are a gift. We realize in our searching that the only thing that can truly satisfy us is God Himself. Nothing else fills that need. Nothing else soothes that ache. Him alone.
  3. We acknowledge the gifts and blessings He has given us. We don’t look around at the gifts and blessings we wish He had given us – we look at what He has given us and choose to say it is enough.

Father God, we thank you today for Your Word that is living and active. We thank you for the way that you speak to us as we study bit by bit through your Holy Word. Thank you for the truths you speak into our lives through it. Thank you for your eternal plan, for what you are doing in our lives, and for the blessings and gifts you have given to each of us. Thank you for placing eternity in our hearts and for satisfying our souls. We love you, Lord. Amen.

Let’s Talk: How about you? Share with all of us in the comments what you are learning today!

With Love From Uganda,

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Weekly Challenge: This week, spend some quiet time with God and do the following: 1) Praise Him for His holiness 2) Thank Him for what He is doing in your life 3) Acknowledge the gifts and blessings He has given you.

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Joy Forney

Joy Forney

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