There is a notable absence of tension or worry in being at a higher elevation. It is
no wonder people flocked to the mountains! The mountainous environment took us
to a deeper and surprisingly easier level of decompression from the constant pressures exuded upon us daily back home.
The
constant sounds of the rapids from the creek coming through our open windows
reminded us of the waves of the Atlantic during our stays in Daytona Beach
Shores. It was/is good medicine and a mental massage for the mind. We needed a
gentle distraction and disconnect of living in a culture and world turned on
its head on so many fronts.
Satan
is employing many forces to overthrow our nation in political freefall in order
to get at God’s people. Satan could care less about America; it is just another
nation to him to expand his ways of darkness: deception and stunning lies! Of
course, this insanity is found everywhere, including a beach or mountain or
wherever we associate as “paradise.”
There
is no place on earth that is untouched by the ongoing spiritual warfare between
the Light and the darkness, nowhere. I am very appreciative that our great and
mighty God is a keeper of His promises, like Romans 8:28! Let’s talk about finding
a true paradise in the midst of these dark days descending upon America.
Isn’t
it ironic that we will long to go and visit a place where we think is paradise,
and once there, you hear from some of the locals wanting to come to our
homeland as if it was some kind of Garden of Eden! It is like the snowbirds
longing to live in Florida. They love the warmer weather, but it comes at a
price; they begin missing the four seasons.
One
wonders if one can have his/her paradise and eat it, too? Maybe it explains the
unending winter and spring migrations from north to south, south to north? Is
there a paradise here on terra firma that fits all? I think not, but for the
believer in Jesus Christ, I think so, but it may not be what you might think,
and you may not agree with me! It is definitely counterintuitive to the senses to
be sure, but doesn’t Yahweh do just the opposite of the world anyway!?
Rare,
indeed, would it be to see such sinful creatures that we are to be able to
handle one paradise! Even Adam and Eve, who were in far better shape spiritually
than us at one time, weren’t satisfied with their perfect Garden plot, and their
wrong choices moved them from paradise (a sinless environment) to a sinful prison
(a cursed environment). Eve bought into the lie from the serpent that there was
something more (Gn 3:5). There was something more than what she bargained
for alright – then the eyes of both of them were opened (Gen 3:7a, 24; cf. 1 Tim 2:13-14)!
Oh,
the misery of a discontented spirit believing that there is “something more”
than what God has provided (cf. Heb 13:5)!” That “something more” is ultimately
found in the eternal state of glory, but in the meantime, we have promises like
these: Lk 12:30-33; Php 4:13, 19; 2 Cor 9:8-11; et al. But what if I told you
that on this side of eternity there is truly something more that has God’s
stamp of blessing upon it which transforms our thinking and taking us to
another level on the true meaning of paradise on a corrupt planet and not just another dream location? I will come back
to this shortly.
I
think one person’s paradise can be another person’s prison, yes? Our concept of
a paradise here on earth is at best an illusion, a deceptive magical veil
disguising a cursed plot of land. Jesus didn’t conceal it with any charmful
covering! No, it was a devilish suggestion we picked up on and bought into (cf.
Gn 3:1). Why do I say that? Because we bought into the lie of the evil one that
the only place to find peace, rest, and contentment is that plot/s we deem as paradise
here on earth during the weekends! It is a place where we think that it is only
there that we can truly fulfill that deeper desire of whatever
it is we think meets our needs or wants that we cannot attain at home!
Getting
away almost every weekend to such a place or another place is a
vain attempt to capture the “something more” as Eve. It is what I call the
“Hunters Syndrome.” Every possible weekend, many
are going to another place hunting in search of something that cannot be experienced where they live. It helps them get through the week and explains Monday-itis, and hump day on Wednesday – “Everybody’s working for the weekend!” We seem
compelled to sacrifice 5 days for 2, to seize two days out of 7 to find
satisfaction or meaning to life, or to simply to get away from a mundane existence! Life goes fast enough as
it is; once you get past the age of 18, that is (Jas 4:14)!
Did
Beverly and I come to the mountains for that purpose? No, for it was God who
opened the doors for us to go. Nothing enters our lives unless God approves of
it, yes? God has an agenda, and He doesn’t ask my permission. Do I resent this?
No, because I know He loves me, and I trust in Him and take Him at His Word
that all things work together for my good. He is to be the sovereign Lord in
our lives, yes? Going to the mountains was an easy assignment, yes? Somebody had to do it!
Anyway,
the relaxation we are experiencing here is much deeper, physically speaking; I
attribute this to God’s will for us to be here. You ever feel out of kilter
though there is nothing physically wrong with you? It could be we are seeking something
outside of God’s will? People seem to be seeking satisfaction out of the
superficial fluff n’ stuff. Here today, gone tomorrow, next! God is out of the
picture or not part of the equation in what we are up to.
Keeping
it real, any physical place on earth that is enchanting to us is at best a
cursed paradise – cursed is the ground (Gn 3:17; cf. Gn 5:29), yes? Even Jesus
retreated to higher ground (cf. Mt 14:23; Mk 6:46; Lk 5:16; 6:12; Jn 6:15) that,
by the way, was cursed by Him after Adam’s and Eve’s Garden fiasco (cf. Rom
8:20-22). Knowing of paradise lost, how beautiful and breathtaking a place heaven must
be, and it’s blessed to boot, and it is up ahead for all of those in Christ! Heaven is
real (cf. Jn 14:2, 3), not a virtual reality environment like the holodeck on
Star Trek. There are wonderful and beautiful places on earth alright, but all
pales in light of the glory of heaven, our eternal home.
Well,
Spring has already sprung in our neck of the woods back home, but up here in
the mountains in May, many deciduous trees are budding or unfurling their
tender leaves, creating a new canopy for the forest floor. Even the dogwoods and Rhododendrons are in bloom. As beautiful
as this place where we are staying, I have come to the realization that I wouldn’t
really want to live here in this narrow valley being walled in by the mountains.
I am not claustrophobic, but I would rather be living on top of a mountain with a view.
Nonetheless, I could live anywhere, if God so willed it.
I
don’t know if this is a willingness because the new has worn off, revealing us to be a restless spirit, or if it is simply a
byproduct of being heavenly minded and holding God’s will in high esteem, probably the latter with a pinch of liking the new. We
have enjoyed being here, whichever, and thankful we are here because I have always
maintained, and you may think this is rather odd to say this, but give it some
thought before dismissing it. Being in the will of God wherever He would have us
to be is the paradise we are to seek and no other because if it is not God’s will
for us to be here or there, it is a pseudo-paradise.
Conversely,
the most miserable place to be is out of God’s will for our life. This
meaningful paradise for the believer transcends the qualities, the circumstances, or the localities. Why? Because this world is not our home, and the paradise we
should seek is not of this world because we are just passing through! In a physical sense, there is no paradise on
earth. Spiritually speaking, paradise is everywhere the will of God is for our
life! Don’t miss this by crowding it out of the mind with all kinds of questions on this or
that. For example, try and get “paradise” out of Paul’s reminder to Timothy,
Yes,
and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim
3:12).
Suffering for the cause of Christ is part of living in paradise (the center of God’s will for your life)! The key to unlocking paradise on earth is the desire and obedience to be at the very center of God’s will in all circumstances, including location. Anything outside of that is outside the will of God.
Consider the words of Solomon in Eccl 3:14,
I
know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added
to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should
fear before Him.
Solomon knew that whatever God does has eternality in it – it shall be forever. It is also eternally unchanging or immutable – nothing can be added or subtracted from it – Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. Nothing in existence can alter what God does for it is an impregnable fortress; His will (God does) cannot be enhanced or diminished. The omnipotent power behind the Creator’s will is mind-boggling. God does (His will) is vastly superior to what “man does” (his will) which is temporal, malleable, vulnerable to being thwarted and destroyed. It is far better to show reverential trust and submit to God’s will rather than assert our contrariness against the will of the Almighty – God does it, that men should fear before Him.
I
am of the opinion that if our will conforms to the eternal will of Yahweh, our service
to God survives the scrutiny at the Bema seat, having been assessed the
qualities of gold, silver, or precious stones by the ultimate Assayer. The value
of our will being lost in Yahweh’s will is priceless. Acting outside of His will, our
service is without value – wood, hay, and stubble.
The
pursuit of paradise is not a location but an uncompromising desire to be in the very center of the will of God at all times; it is not a destination but love (agape) and respect for
His presence in our lives on a daily basis. There will be pushback; no one said
that serving the Lord will be without its challenges by the devil, the world,
and our fleshly nature. We can bet on it!
The
pursuit of paradise for a believer is not limited to the weekends only, but it involves
every day of the week, month, year, and so on until we are no more or out of
here on the call-up! Paradise is found in only one place for us who truly believe;
it is discovered in the life-giving center of the will of God which is always in accordance with the Word
of God.
The only question we have to ask ourselves is this. “Is my will here on earth to do
the will of God or my will” (cf. Lk 22:42). The former option is paradise found; the latter choice
is paradise lost, again and again. Keep the Bema in mind, yes! <><
