Only in this life

I was reading about Moses and his song at the end of Deuteronomy.

I went there and got kinda lost lost because I started out in another verse.

I actually started this morning out reading Philippians and paused in chapter two. I noticed that in verse 14 Paul said: Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

I had not noticed that the end of that verse was in quotes like it is so I looked at the reference. It was a quote from a song of Moses found in Deuteronomy chapter 32. Moses was addressing the children of Israel for the last time and talked about how they had much to be grateful for from God and how they should have been trusting and obedient but instead were a warped a crooked generation.

A while back I was listening to a sermon from Bill Johnson and sometimes you hear a comment either have to pause the message or miss it. I listened to it a second time but he was talking about how there are things in this life that you only get to do in this life.

There will be no sunsets or sunrises in heaven.

I will not be called to forgive anyone or to sorrow or see someone die.

I will never be called upon to worship in the face of trials or have sin to overcome. I will never be called upon to be compassionate toward someone who is rude and in a hurry.

I will never ever see someone come to knowledge of Christ and get saved. The doors to eternity will be sealed and never opened again.

I will never be called upon to cry out to God for the salvation of a loved one. They will either be in or out.

I will never be dependent upon the Spirit to speak the words of life to someone who is dead in their sin and blind to the work of Christ.

I will never be entrusted with suffering so that someone else could see what the life of Christ looks like while life or misery are not evenly distributed.

I will never see infection or disease or cancer or blindness or the inside of a hospital. I will never see a funeral or a cemetery again.

I will never have the experience of not getting to say goodbye to a loved one.

This life is precious and every single day is precious and fleeting.

James 4:14 James says that our lives are a vapor that appear and then are gone.

I tried to put a sound effect to it and how it would compare over time spent in eternity. I kept making the sound shorter and shorter and realized that there was a point where eternity has become too long for me to make any sound at all.

Paul said that we cannot compare this life and all of it's struggles to the life that is to come.

He said that he is torn between going to the next one where it's much better for him or to stay and to work because he understood that his time was brief but his soul longed for home.

I am just going to paste in the entire verse from Philippians 2:12-18:

12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

14Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.