Beyond All Comparison

To illustrate how vastly superior God's eternal glory is over the temporary trials of this life, I am calling in a giant. No, it's not Goliath. I'm thinking of something bigger than him. It's name is VY Canis Majoris, the largest star man has discovered in space to date.

See, I was recently inspired by a video I watched by Louie Giglio in which he shows the bigness of God by illustrating the sizes of the stars God created. It made me want to investigate further. Then, later on, in an unrelated event, our lead pastor Rev. Stephen Coates preached on 2 Corinthians chapter 4 at one of our latest church services. He got to the following part:

2 Corinthians 4:15-18 (ESV)
 15  For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

In my 1599 Geneva Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:17 says:
 For our light affliction which is but for a moment, causeth unto us a far most excellent and an eternal weight of glory:

Take a look at the following picture from wikipedia:

This picture shows a progression of planet and star size comparisons. In each panel, the scale gets increasingly larger, until the last panel, panel 6, shows VY Canis Majoris. This star is so gigantic that you cannot see our own sun at that scale. In fact, you cannot even see stars that are much bigger than our sun at the scale of Canis Majoris!

 Wow!

Then it hit me: the Lord encouraged me to put the star-size chart and 2 Corinthians 4:17 together. God laid these stars in the expanse of space. Stars do not declare the future, nor your personality. They declare His GLORY.

Psalm 19:1 ESV  To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

The revelation I received was...

 Earth, where we live, represents our life and our successes, and also our struggles and problems. But that earth (as big as it is to us) is so tiny in the cosmos that it disappears by panel 3 in the 6-panel progression of the photo above! And the biggest star makes earth microscopic by comparison! God's reward for you, as a faithful believer, is so very much bigger than the biggest star in the above diagram.

The point is this... just as the stellar giant Canis Majoris is "beyond all comparison" to earth's physical size, so is God's eternal weight of glory "beyond all comparison" to the struggles we have on earth.

Did you know that eternity is so much bigger than the temporal realm? The afflictions you are currently suffering in Christ, these are important character builders in the Spirit. But as difficult as they can be, they are temporary. These afflictions will not last.

But His glory will. If Jesus is your Lord, then you will dwell eternally in His Glory.

We cannot fully grasp the sheer magnitude of these objects in outer space. Yet eternity with Jesus is bigger, and far more permanent and more luminous.

His eternal weight of glory is worth the temporary struggle we endure for the moment.
Be encouraged, I pray that you can also see the revelation that the Lord brought to me.
Blessings!
Pastor Curtis


(Star image credit: Dave Jarvis (http://www.davidjarvis.ca/ )

Truth in 2013

Truth is unchangeable. It is timeless. It is the same yesterday, today in 2013, and forever. If you stand on truth, some will hate you, some will love you. It is uncomfortable to all who have been making up their own "truths" and are not yet ready to face the truth. That is the real reason they persecute and judge those who do face and embrace it: because they themselves haven't the courage to look at truth for themselves. But if you do decide to stand on truth, you will be safe in the mercies of God.

Truth stands on its own two feet. It exists with or without people. It has been around before time. It continues to stand whether it is discovered or not, whether it is liked or not.
Even if the whole world were to deny it, it does not get destroyed. It is invincible.

If you stand on Truth, you will be unshakable in spirit, steady in mind, dependable in character, merciful and kind in behaviour, and principled in your stand. Most of all, you will have love, benevolent love. Love that gives what is needed without price, but does not always give what is wanted/demanded. Sometimes wants are destructive, sometimes not. Only truth can tell. And that is why you need truth!

People change, their views flip-flop and are weak. We damage each other. As soon as a group hollers for supposed wrongs or rights (based on a system that keeps changing what is right and wrong- no standards!) the people scramble and accomodate. "Times have changed" they quote. But when did time have anything to say to truth? Truth has dominion over time. Time does not have dominion over truth. So times can change all they want. The truth still presides over all time.

We have a strange illogical and unfounded concept floating about like a dead leaf falling from a tree: it is that truth is determined by the masses, by popular vote if you will.

Well, just study John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, Copernicus, or Galileo. They were studying the truth and stood alone, and got punished or sidelined for it. It wasn't until much later that the public discovered they were right. So the popular opinion was indeed wrong. History keeps teaching us that lesson. When Copernicus (1473-1543ad) discovered that earth is (gasp!) ... NOT the center of the solar system, he was afraid to publish his findings. Why? Because he was afraid of the masses railing against him and that persecution would come. It was all because he discovered a truth: "EARTH DOES NOT LIE AT THE CENTER, the SUN DOES." (I'm saddened to say this, but there are peoples and groups today who still, in an allegorical sense, believe they are the center of the solar system.) Tell me one time in history, since the fall of Adam and Eve, that truth was popular. It never has been popular and never will be on a fallen sinful planet like this. People may try to get along without the truth, but sin wrapped in goodwill and activism, is still sin.

 So you must be brave! Be unafraid to face the true persecution, the true sufferings of those who follow the Truth. The Word promises that if you do follow truth, you will find mercy.

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Here is a basic principal, albeit uncomfortable, to take with you into 2013. It is uncomfortable to the human mind, but it will save your life and keep you from sinking in the mire of current secular western depravity.

Here it is:
It's not truth that changes - it is people who faulter. But there is hope! We need to come back to the Ancient Truth. It is the Rock. Truth and Mercy meet together in Jesus Christ! Accept Him as your bedrock and sure foundation and keep standing on His Word. His word never changes, never goes obsolete and always extends mercy to those willing to return to the source, The Truth, Jesus Christ.

Don't believe me?  Good! I'm not the truth... you shouldn't just believe me.

You should read His Word, the Holy Bible for yourself, and discover the Truth in Jesus. No book in history is more verified, with more ancient manuscript copies, than the Holy Bible.
Ask Him to show His Ancient Truth to you! He wants a relationship with you in 2013!
So don't believe me, or the right wing or the left wing, or this group of changers, or that group of changers. Rather, believe the words of unchanging Truth. Find grace and mercy in Him today.

 Read the Bible, do it prayerfully, daily, and with a teachable spirit. Test it and see if what I say is right or not.

Happy 2013!
~Pastor Curtis