October Running Thoughts
Eternity Starts Now
My Running Thoughts are just that. They are my personal experiences, my personal thoughts as I have committed myself to knowing, by doing, God’s Word. From the beginning, back in 1977, “Is God?” and “Who is God?” became my personal spiritual expedition. My thoughts are my way of communicating what I discover along the way to you who are either a fellow explorer or potential explorer. My invitation is always to join me in this adventure, and my offer is to assist you along the way. As you have experienced my journeys, I realize that we all ‘struggle’ as we live this life in a troubled world. I realize this, empathize, and pray for you.
I am determined to be transparent, honest as I report all of my experiences – what I might call the good ones and the not so good ones.
Is He who He says He Is? I have discovered that He Is
But, whoa, what a month! I confess that I needed to be reminded of my own discoveries from the past as I felt overwhelmed, in the present, by what felt like a tsunami of grief, sadness, and emotions that knocked on despair’s door. The particulars do not matter. It has been difficult, and yet, through the prayers of friends and family, I came out from this negative undertow/riptide. He has told us that “the truth will set you free,” and once again, this has proven true.
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5
So, what have I relearned?
I remember I rightly told you that the only time we live is ‘right now,’ and ‘right now’ all is okay. Right now—independent of me, my feelings, others, and other things—He is not worried that He cannot keep His Word or that He might need to break His promises. No. He, ‘right now,’ is hosing me down with grace, renewing a right spirit within me, working ALL things together for good and, ‘right now,’ directing my steps into “immeasurably more than all I can ask for or even imagine.” Eph. 3:20
I allowed myself to be pulled into the impossible task of living in the future—a future, in my mind, that was devastating and unavoidable. Hope—solid, living hope—was being diminished, even extinguished. 
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? Rom 8:24
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the certainty of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Hope, by definition, is not yet realized. When our hope is placed in the fulfillment of God’s Word and His promises, this hope is certain, though not yet seen. It’s in this waiting room that things can get rough. It seems it is situated right at the shore where the crashing waves hit. They may try to pull us in, but as we band together, they will not succeed.
Another reminder
It is true that we who have made peace (not perfection) with God, accepting His gift of salvation by putting our faith in Jesus, that we are rescued from the kingdom of this fallen world into the Kingdom of Heaven where we will forever reside. In Heaven there will be no more sin, no more death, no more sickness, no more crashing waves.
This perfect eternal residence is our sure hope but is not yet.
For now, two kingdoms exist:
Kingdom of this world
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 1John 5:19
Kingdom of God
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” Col 1:13
These kingdoms coexist right now! Whether we know it or believe it, it is true.
The question is: What kingdom are we of?
For those who have not been rescued, they are blind, unaware POWs in the bad guy’s kingdom. They are of this fallen kingdom.
For those of us who have been rescued and are no longer prisoners, we live in both worlds at the same time!
Though we have escaped the gravity of sin in the fallen kingdom, we still remain in the kingdom but not of it. We still bump into sin and evil and fall into long practiced sin behaviors as He reshapes and remakes us into citizens who look like Jesus in His forever kingdom. We need to let Him do His thing, surrendering to His reshaping. We need to avoid the temptation to straddle both worlds.
This is a very important truth. The truth of two kingdoms and two kings. A temporary king and an eternal King.
Just as I shared my rough adventure this month, the resolution and healing came from remembering who I am, whose I am, where I am from and where I am headed.
I want us to understand this dichotomy – good and evil. It is real and it is now until such time as time ends and only the Kingdom of God exists unopposed. For now, though pained by guilt or by lives influenced by the evil one, let us understand 1) His grace for us is effective. He does not hold us responsible for all the confusion and evil of the world. He understands it and therefore rescued us from it. 2) We need to maintain an attitude of love and empathy towards those who are blind and held hostage: love deeply and pray earnestly for the lost with His attitude of “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
These reminders this month are to encourage you and me both as we traverse our lives.
Remembering there are two kingdoms, right now we are in
- Eternal life isn’t primarily something that starts when we die. It’s learning to live the life of the Kingdom with God now—in a world where His will is very clearly not always being done.
We can be:
- Deeply at peace, but not passive.
- Certain of the outcome, but engaged in the battle.
- Living in eternity, but intensely present today.
- Seeing evil clearly, but never surrendering to despair.
Eternal life is now and is far better than just getting off of death row. It is a growing, interactive, intimate relationship with our Maker.
I have read some of Dallas Willard’s books. He reminds us that we are invited to a “with God” life vs just a ‘for God’ one.
Speaking of “with God,” I am right now in a familiar spot. I am on a porch in Clearwater, Florida. Over the past decades, when we would visit my wife’s aunt at her mobile home, I would spend hours of my time meeting with God in pursuit of Him and interceding for others. This became a place where I eventually met with people to share Him with others. Now, Aunt Ann and these others are gone. He remains with me right here, right now—He unchanged, and me a bit more transformed. 
Just yesterday as I was reading and listening to His Word, as my morning spiritual breakfast—we were reading in the Gospel of John. I say ‘we’ because He had me imagine Him, sitting at the table across from me, watching His home movies. That which I imagined, actually was.
As we move through this month, let’s be intentional about Him, let’s forgive ourselves and let’s love others to Him.
Peace, His peace I give to us.
Love ya…TG