More Than Eternity…

“It is finished.”

– John 19:30

The title of this article seems kinda foolish. What could be “more” than the eternity in heaven that Jesus made available to us at the cross? I’m not sure that anything could be more important than that aspect of what Jesus accomplished, but He did many other things for us that we often fail to appreciate or make use of – at least I do!

Today I want to look deeper into what Jesus accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection.

Anything we’ve had for some time we tend to take for granted. Psychologists call it “hedonistic adaptation.” Think about anything you wanted really, really badly and how excited you were when you got it.

Were you praising God, thanking the person who gave it to you, writing thank you notes, and telling all your friends? How long did that last?

How long did it take for the new to wear off, for you to no longer say “thank you Lord” every time you see it? For me, it never takes long.

What about your faith? I grew up in the church. I knew from early on that Jesus died for my sins and that I could have eternal life by accepting Him as my savior. I did accept Jesus as my savior and firmly believe I will spend eternity in heaven.

I guess I was excited (and probably very nervous) when I made the decision and was baptized, but then life kept going. Eternity seems like a long way off and I’ve got things to figure out here. So my excitement about eternity gets crowded out by cares about today.

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells the parable of the sower. Some of that seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew and choked the plants. In verse 22 Jesus explains that the thorns were the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” which caused the plants to bear no fruit.

I don’t know about you, but my chief aim in life is to get to eternity and get a “well done.” To reach that end, I must not let the cares of this world drown out my excitement about what God has given me through Jesus.

I was told one time that a great way to deepen your appreciation of something is to imagine your life without it. Think your truck is getting too old and you deserve a new one (I know I do!)? Imagine your life without a vehicle. Is your house too out of date, small, dirty, etc.? What about your relationships? Imagine your life without the people you care most about.

For those of us raised in the church, I believe this is a good exercise to renew our appreciation for what God gave us when He sent his son to die on the cross for our sins and what was accomplished by his death and resurrection. What did God accomplish through Jesus and what would we be missing without Jesus’ sacrifice? Here is a very incomplete list.

• Finished – As in complete, perfectly accomplished. God’s plan was perfectly accomplished in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We now have everything we need to accomplish what God put us on this earth to do. Eternity is covered when we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior. Our job is to do His will while we are here on earth.
• The removal of our sin. In John 1:29 John the Baptist calls Jesus “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This isn’t just the sins I committed before I got saved. Through Jesus, God’s grace continues for everything I messed up today and will in the future. Check out the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. It is a great example of how God reacts to our foolishness when we turn back to Him. He runs to us. He throws a party. How many times is God willing to forgive us? Every time. Check out what Jesus said about forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-22 – “seventy times seven.”
• The removal of God’s wrath. 1 John 4:10 says “in this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
• Reconciliation with God. When Jesus died “the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom” (Matt 27:51). Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have “boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:11-12). Through Christ, we can freely and openly approach God. God is the ultimate father. He doesn’t hold grudges. We can run to Him with our worst sins and we are already forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice. Not only that, but God loves to spend time with us. How often do I forget in my hurried life that God is there, waiting to spend time with me, to guide me, to speak blessings over me, to tell me that I am His masterpiece and that He has great plans for me (for each of us).
• Redeemed from Sin – Romans 6:1-7 shows us that we are no longer slaves to sin. It may not feel like we have power over sin, but we do. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Jesus defeated the devil. Yes, the devil still prowls around like a roaring lion seeking to kill and destroy (1 Peter 5:8), but he is a toothless lion. He might be loud, but he has no bite. He is defeated.
• The Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit is such a big deal that Jesus said that it was to our “advantage” that He (Jesus) leave so He could send the “helper” to us (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit will “teach us all things” and help us remember what Jesus taught (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins – which is a good thing because sin leads to death and I often need a reminder when I am sliding (John 16:8). He (the Holy Spirit) dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16), gives us power (Acts 1:8), hears from God and speaks what He hears to us (John 16:13-15), and is the “guarantee” of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13). He also prays for us when we are weak (Romans 8:26-27) and it is through the Holy Spirit that we will bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:16-25).

Writing this has been a great reminder of everything that Jesus gave me. But, I’ve got to open the presents. These things do me no good if I don’t pick them up. I hope this is a reminder to you to open up these presents that God prepared for us.

As we walk through this life dealing with the shortcomings of a fallen world, we cannot lose sight of the victory that has been won for us.

If we imagine what life would be like without what Jesus accomplished for us, then maybe we can see this amazing gift with fresh eyes.

Wishing you and yours a very blessed Easter.