The Temporal and (the) ETERNAL
The other day, I was in a cleaning mood. Yes, my sister Jill would be so thrilled and my husband too. Yet, here’s the thing. My sister would say, “If you don’t use it or need it, then get rid of it.” I did that one day (a long time ago) when she was helping me buy a purse. My old one was pretty ratty, and we were shopping for the day at an outlet mall when I found a great backpack purse. So, after I made my purchase, Jill walked with me outside where we parked ourselves on a park bench to await the others.
“Why don’t you change your purse?” she asked.
‘Yes, why don’t I,’ came to my thoughts as I reached for my recent purchase. That day, I did not know her question would lead to a cleaning (out).
It did not take me but a few minutes to empty the contents from my old backpack purse and place them into my new backpack purse. I remember thinking, ‘Oh, how I love this old purse,’ and also thinking, ‘Soon, I will carry you again upon my back,’ but that did not appear to be the intent behind my sister’s request.
“Here’s a trashcan. Why don’t you throw away that old purse?” she questioned me as soon as she saw me zip up the empty, old purse and place it into the now empty store bag. (My other sister would have loved to keep that bag, BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY!)
Jill turned to look at me, and repeated, “Here’s a trashcan. Why don’t you throw away that old purse?”
‘Throw IT away?’ I pondered.
I never even considered throwing IT away that day when Jill purchased this new purse for me for my birthday.
She knew the goal, but I was oblivious to that goal. (I am oblivious often to many things, BUT THAT’S ANOTHER STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY!)
“Throw away MY old purse?” I said to her as I eyeballed the trashcan positioned ever so close to her right.
I had carried that favored, old purse for a LONG TIME. The leather was so soft; the purse was so comfortable; I loved that old purse.
‘Throw IT away, forevermore,’ I rolled around in my head this thought, wondering if I could really do this & if I really WANTED to do this.
NO, I DID NOT WANT TO DO THIS!
NO, I DID NOT WANT TO THROW AWAY MY COMFORTABLE, OLD, RATTY-LOOKING PURSE!
I WANTED TO KEEP IT, CARRY IT, USE IT, HANG ONTO IT, LOVE IT, & HOLD IT CLOSE.
I DID NOT WANT TO THROW IT WAY!
I said as much to my sister that day, and being my sister, she already knew the answer to her question when she voiced it to me that day. “You really should,” she said. “If you keep it, then you will return to it, keep carrying it, and it really has seen its better day.”
I looked at my “favorite” backpack purse and I looked at my “new” backpack purse. The new one was so much more beautiful than the old. It was clean. It was unblemished. It fit so well in the small of my back, resting right between my shoulder blades, and my old one sunk down low, riding upon my hipline, primarily because it was older, well-used, and misshapen.
‘Should I (get rid of it)?’
‘Should I throw it away?’
‘Could I throw it away?’
‘Could I REALLY throw it in the trashcan, leaving it there, and walk away?’
It took great fortitude, but I looked at the TRUTH of what my sister was saying, and then I stood, took two steps, and placed the empty, old backpack purse in the trashcan, and walked away that day.
- Have I missed that old purse?
- Yes, sometimes, I do, but then I remember the TRUTH my sister helped me see.
- Yes, I NOW SEE the TRUTH!
- Will I ever return to the “old one”?
- NO, the “the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.“ (2 Corinthians 5: 17)
- “Do I still carry the NEW purse?
- Yes, I do, and it has not turned “old-looking” as the old purse did.
- NO, the “NEW ONE” has remained “NEW LOOKING.”
In thinking of the backpack purse, (I cannot explain it), but when I consider this analogy in relation to my salvation, I SEE WITH CLARITY WHAT JESUS DID FOR ME!
The Temporal—and (the) ETERNAL.
Life, given to me, to live upon this earth, within this body that aches more with each passing day as I proceed toward the end—of my earthly life.
NEW LIFE, given to me, to LIVE FOREVER With HIM (With JESUS) & With HIM (With ALMIGHTY GOD), within a NEW BODY that will never ache, that will be perfect and complete—within my forever & eternal life.
Jill knew what I needed to do that day, and even though we often laugh about the turmoil I wore upon my face that day as I dropped that old, ratty, worn-out backpack purse into the trashcan—We also speak of the OLD must be left so that the OLD can be replaced by the NEW.
- Thank You, God.
- Thank You, God, for my sister who led me to see that truth.
- Thank You, Jill, for helping me share this biblical truth today.
- Thank You, Jill, for continuing to walk through life with me, reminding me of God’s Truth.
- Thank You, God for Your forgiveness, even when I fall into sin, desiring the “old” instead of “Your New.”
- Thank You God for my brother Jim who led me to see the truth found in Jesus.
- Thank You, God, for brothers and sisters in Christ who hold me accountable each day, who help me remember the beautiful LIFE YOU HAVE PROVIDED, how I am forever changed, how I am TO WALK IN NEWNESS of LIFE.
The Apostle Paul helps us see in the Bible this truth—The Temporal and (the) ETERNAL.
SEE THIS TRUTH WITH ME.
“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house [our earthly body] is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens [a new body] . . . .
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
for we walk by faith, not by sight—
we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Therefore, we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. . . .
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
(2 Corinthians 5: 1 & 6-11 & 16-21)
The Temporal—Earthly Body—Made ETERNALLY NEW through CHRIST JESUS!
Like my sister, we have a task to do; we must lead others to throw away the old and take up the NEW.
Edward M. Bounds said it this way—”We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance . . . the gospel. . . . . Men are God’s method.”
May we “pass it on” (the gospel message).
“Therefore, [may we remember] we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
(2 Corinthians 5: 20-21)
Happy Birthday Jackie Ingram, missionary to European Peoples.