“And God will generously provide all you need” (II Corinthians 9:8)
With all the limitations Covid has presented, Amazon has become my go-to place. I go to it for some things I can’t get to the store to buy. I go to it for some things I want to try. And, okay I confess, some things I look at and go, “Oh, that’s neat!” I am amazed at what one can purchase on their website. And with Prime, I get fast delivery. I am sure by now I have paid for at least two of their blue/grey delivery vans.
This world presents us with many needs and desires. Some of the things we need are true necessities. Many of the things we “think” we need are really desires. But let’s be honest, there is only so much this world can give us.
In the Hebrew, the word for earth is singular – meaning one self-contained entity. Just one – no multiples. This tells us that everything that is attached to this world has a limit to it. A limit to what this one sphere can provide. However, the word for heaven is plural. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). Heaven is not confined to one location. The bible teaches there are three heavens. The first heaven is the firmament (the earth’s atmosphere or sky). The second heaven contains the stars and the galaxy. And the third heaven is where God’s presence dwells. (II Corinthians 12:2).
The lesson is this. This singular earth is limited as to what it can give us. Meaning, it will never be able to provide for us everything we need or desire. Therefore, if we seek fulfillment from this world, we will end up disappointed because the physical is very restricted and finite. Even Amazon cannot provide everything we seek. Try ordering peace, or contentment, or joy from Amazon. Try asking Amazon to send you the money you need to make your mortgage payment. Try asking Amazon to help a friend who is in need. Better yet, try googling wisdom on Amazon. All they will offer you is a variety of books. (I know because I tried it). The heavens, God’s unlimited realm, has everything we need – and desire. Only the spiritual that God offers us is ever going to be able to fulfill and complete us.
I want to challenge each of us to think about where we go for what we really need. Are we spending hours searching through the internet, googling for solutions to our problems, sifting through pages of information that we think will answer our questions, trying the find the perfect whatever? I remember well the days before the internet when we sifted through volumes of catalogs from Sears and Roebuck, J.C. Penney, and Spiegel. I suggest that instead of chaining ourselves to the computer, hunting for answers, explanations, remedies, or solutions to the needs and desires we have; that we sit down and diligently read our bible. We might find God delivers the answers we seek through his word – even if they don’t come in a blue/grey delivery van.
Darlene