Eternity: Planted And Growing

Eternity: Planted And Growing

What prompted so many readers to ask for articles about eternity in our magazine? I think Solomon had the answer: “God has planted eternity in the human heart” (Eccl. 3:1 NLT ). And it’s growing in the hearts of our readers!

The word “time” appears 30 times in the first 11 verses of Ecclesiastes 3. Solomon, the wise teacher, began that chapter this way: “There is a time for everything.” He went on to list the 28 most significant activities of all peoples everywhere: “A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest,” etc. But then he planted the idea of eternity.

We pay so much attention to time today! When Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, mankind’s time-management plan focused more on years, seasons and events, than on the hours, minutes and seconds we’re so concerned about. For instance, I recently heard a co-worker complain that our e-mail messages (which literally travel around the world almost instantly) were taking forever to download.

It’s understandable why we care so much about time. It does govern our lives. There’s a clock in every room in my house, including the bathroom! And it’s the same at G&T, except for the bathrooms! But it’s also understandable why we had so many requests for articles on eternity, and why we always seem to measure time in relation to eternity: because God planted that idea in our hearts. And the closer we get to the end of our time on earth, the more it grows.

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us a lot about the “finite” times of our life, but it also tells us that our hearts yearn for something more – for what comes after the “time to die.” As we grow older, we should also grow more interested in what’s beyond the calendars and clocks of our lives. Why? Because God wants us to enjoy “eternal life” with Him (Jn. 3:15).

We hope you’ll take some time to read this month’s Features about eternity. They’re written to help your interest grow.

By Larry Ondrejack