Baby, I'm A Rich Man!

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”- Ephesians 1:18

Most of us dream of being filthy rich. We witness Hollywood celebrity and wish for red carpet treatment. We observe persons of powerful influence and wonder what it would be like to shake hands with royalty. Can you imagine rolling in the dough? Living large? Having your financial ship sail in? What would it be like to frequent five-star hotels, drive Italian sports cars and buy anything and everything your heart desires?

It would be heaven. Exactly.

The real secret to life is to not get the cart ahead of the horse. We weren’t created for a few decades but designed for eternal life. When we realize how temporary, brief and insignificant our earthly journey is when compared to infinity, then we are enlightened to a truer Hope. We can make a little Heaven here on earth but we shouldn’t let earth become our Heaven. We have so much more to anticipate!

That’s why Paul prays for the Ephesians and their “inner” eyes to see the Truth: we can know real Hope now. We are called to Eternal Life through Jesus Christ. But there’s one more insight: you and I are a treasure. We’re a “glorious inheritance” to God. When everything is said and done, we don’t “get” Heaven as our Reward, but rather God gets us! And even better, He actually wants us. We are desirable. We are priceless. We are rare gems.

You see, from man’s perspective (and yours) you may think your life is just a pebble of common asphalt. But in God’s heart you’re pure gold. You’re a ten-carat diamond. You’re sterling silver. You make God rich. You make me rich. We all make the world a richer place.

Now that is a heavenly thought. Exactly.


NOTABLE QUOTABLES ETERNITY:

The created world is but a small parenthesis in eternity. --Sir Thomas Browne

If we consider eternity, into that time never entered; eternity is not an everlasting flux of time, but time is as a short parenthesis in a long period; and eternity had been the same as it is, though time had never been. --Dr. John Donne

Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters. --Norman Maclean

Father, it is so hard to grasp eternity. And yet Your Hand marks out infinity with a mere sweep. You have no beginning nor will You ever end. Open our heart’s eyes to see the Hope of Heaven and the Real Treasure that we are in Your sight. Forgive us when we forget our Value. Thank You, Jesus, for opening Eternity to us. Amen.