eternal: adjective; without pause; endless
Synonyms:
abiding, ageless, always, amaranthine, boundless, ceaseless, constant, continual,continued, continuous, dateless, deathless, enduring, everlasting, forever, illimitable,immemorial, immortal, immutable, imperishable, incessant, indefinite, indestructible,infinite, interminable, lasting, never-ending, perdurable, perennial, permanent, perpetual,persistent, relentless, termless, timeless, unbroken, unceasing, undying, unending,unfading, uninterrupted, unremitting, without end
Antonyms:
brief, changeable, changing, ending, ephemeral, stopping, temporary, terminable,transient
I’m starting to think this whole lesson was more for me than it was for anyone else. You see I’m struggling very deeply with some major questions. Questions of whether Jesus was really who He said He was. This man no doubt changed lives. He impacted more than just Israel, even writings in other religions speak of Him. But they don’t see Him as the Son of God. They don’t see Him as the living Word. They don’t doubt His existence, but they do doubt His divinity. He was just another man to them. A powerful prophet.. but merely human.
His claims were pretty bold. So why should I believe them? I’ve spent a good portion of my life just believing without thinking about it. But over the last year that hasn’t settled well with me. To say I had a crisis of faith was putting it lightly. I went to Africa and was face to face with something I didn’t expect… my faith. And I discovered it wasn’t as strong as I thought. And that scared the you know what out of me. I felt like such a fraud, but I continued on. I worked on scripture verses to study, but I was at my lowest point and I had no idea how anything I did could be of use.
You know what happened? I was given what to say whenever I was supposed to speak. And every time I spoke it lined up with everything the other speakers were saying. It’s funny, I thought in that moment feeling so low and weak I would be useless, but God took that moment to use me more than I ever expected. And maybe I was being optimistic, but I guess I figured after that I would never have issues or struggles with my faith. I guess I assumed those moments of being used would be like my glue to my faith. I was caught off guard when I continuously was wavering in my faith throughout the rest of the trip and the following weeks after my return. What was wrong with me?? I thought this trip was going to seal my position as a strong Christian, yet I still found myself struggling?? Still had to constantly figure out who Jesus was? Still had to seek proof that He was real???
What a bi-polar faith I was struggling with. And still struggle with, cause it’s not over. I still find myself questioning Him. But I think Jesus knew my awesome issues before I did.
After all the miracles and teachings you’d think this trip to the world was a slam-dunk for Jesus. But no such luck… “But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him.” John 12:37nlt
So obviously I am not the only one to ever have struggled with this.
We last left off when Jesus had left His public ministry (John 11:54). Jesus then spends time before the Passover celebration specifically teaching His disciples. They were all gathered for supper in Jerusalem. Jesus washes the feet of His disciples (ch. 13:3-4), to show His disciples about how important it is to follow His example and to take care of each other. They share the infamous “Last Supper” (ch 13). Judas takes off to go get the men that will arrest Jesus, and Jesus gives important instructions to the remaining disciples.
These 3 blogs all were to lead up to this one lesson. The lesson of life. Jesus knew what the disciples were facing, because He faced it too. He took this last night with them before His crucifixion to help them understand Him, His purpose, their purpose, and give them encouragement for the coming days.
He spoke of the way to the Father (ch 14:6), He promised the Holy Spirit (ch 14:16), He spoke of being the True Vine (ch. 15), He told them they didn’t belong to the world (ch 15:19), He taught about the Holy Spirit (ch 16:7), and He speaks them about the coming days (ch 16:16).
And nestled at the very end of Chapter 16 is a scripture that has inspired these last few lessons.
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33nlt
The words that follow are His prayers. Prayers for Himself, His Disciples and for future Believers.
But oh! That last scripture of chapter 16. It has hit me so hard lately. He spent all this time with His creation, teaching them, healing them, and finally He was about to redeem them. What a remarkable Savior we have. God, coming down and taking what was rightfully our punishment, simply because of one reason: His love for us. Jesus coming was not simple. And all that He spoke of still stands today. And when I read that scripture I honestly think Jesus knew that all He had done and would do would one day come into question for everyone. I don’t care how strong of a Christian you claim to be, everyone comes to the point where they wonder.. is this for real?
Every time something bad happens, every sad life event.. disease, cancer, and death… I’ve heard some horror life stories. People coming from a life of drug addiction, or alcohol addiction.. people coming from families who have abused them in multiple ways. People who spend their whole life with good things, yet still feel something isn’t quite right.
What we face is not easy. It’s hard. Life is horrible sometimes. And sometimes no matter how hard we try we never are able to change that fact.
But Jesus? Jesus overcame all that. His last days on earth were spent doing something that has rocked the very core of everything we know. There are those who choose to disregard it.. to not think about it, and to flat out deny it. How could it even be possible?? It just doesn’t seem logical.
And the problem with believing the resurrection?? Well, then that means EVERYTHING ELSE IS REAL TOO.
The Bible stops being some fairy-tale or legend book and becomes alive. And that’s scary. Then once you start thinking about the possibility of it being real suddenly the world takes on a new meaning, and you become the enemy of the one who is in power. And then you realize, OH DEAR GOD, the devil is REAL????
I know. It makes you seem nuts. Trust me, I’ve been there. I’m there every day. And this happy little bubble that I used to live in is suddenly gone. All my fantasy characters have faded, all my stories and dreams seem lifeless and pointless.
And it has left me with one thing in my heart and mind… What do I do about this? I try to shut it out. I try to watch meaningless movies and tv shows to keep my mind occupied, but working as a hospice aide it forces me back to those thoughts.. is this all there is to life?
I don’t doubt God’s existence. And getting to know Jesus has definitely impacted how I live now. Some think there’s something wrong with me, but there isn’t. I’m better than I’ve ever been. I work hard, I love my job, I have goals of teaching and visiting other countries and telling the stories of all those I meet.
I was just watching The Lord of the Rings and there is a part where Frodo is speaking to Gandalf.. his very words gave me goosebumps, but oddly I can identify with them…
Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
When I heard this part of the movie I felt like I was Frodo and Gandalf was Jesus.. and instead of the words in the movie this was inside my head…
Me: I wish this knowledge had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Jesus: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
I know what I need to do with my time, its just that doing it has presented itself as more difficult than I expected. It seems like my lessons never end, because the lessons I’m learning are never-ending. And the trials and sorrows don’t end either. What I’ve learned from all this is that I will always struggle. There will always be something I will need to conquer or face.. always a lesson to be learned, or something to overcome.. but I don’t need to be afraid, no, because the one I believe in? This Jesus? Well He has overcome this world that brings me down, and He will help me overcome it too.
And if you want that for yourself, well don’t wait! Tell Jesus you want His help in overcoming the world, because you’re tired of doing it alone. And why not ask the Creator? There’s no one better to ask!
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