Personal Blogs

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It’s a strange set of affairs, I like to walk and explore nature in the fine places in Scotland that keep me young. I’m a bit overweight but healthy and full of the joie de vivre.

But, just over a year ago I went through a series of medical tests and at the conclusion I was invited in for the results. Unwelcome news, cells that have served me faithfully turned rogue and caused a rebellion in the prostate, pancreas, and liver.

The consultant looked puzzled and said, “Your very bravado about this?”

“Oh, I have the full implications on all of this,” I replied, “But there’s a young man inside me who was walked with me all my life, his age I’m not sure of, but he has had the same experiences as me and he never changes.” I replied.

I ask you, the reader and I’m sure you know, but you have that younger person with you all your life and this person becomes more prominent as you get older. Can I tell you about my take on this?

Centuries ago, a wise man wrote the following,

“ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.”

Those words are from Ecclesiastes 3:11 from The Voice Bible and the speaker was wise King Solomon; a wisdom he received from God as a gift for faithfulness as a boy.

There are many theories out there I’m sure were the wise of this age speculate why I have a young man in my head and why eternity lives within, but no one, absolutely no one has any scientific evidence for why we have a rich inner lives dancing in our brains. Sure, they have unzipped the skull countless times, and they put it in jars and slice it like spam and study it under all their microscopic kits, but they only have theories, and theories come and go.

We have rich inner lives because we were built for eternity.

That morning, I was going to see the consultant, my wife and I, read Psalm 91:1,

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

After reading it, I said to my wife, “We are going to receive bad news today.” God was forewarning me before I got the results.

Coincidence? No, there are 31,000 verses in the Bible, what’s the chances of opening the scriptures and that verse is staring at you? No, God spoke to us personally.

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He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart…” 

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I live in Scotland, and I know it’s rude to ask people’s age, but what age are you? Not that I’m prying —— goodness, I run away from prying people. Anyway, I’m just wondering if you are at this stage in life where you wonder, what’s it all about? Life, I mean. Why are we here? Are we just products of an aimless evolution and were just dancing to our DNA?

Well, you may believe that, but is that something you reasoned into or something you just accept because everyone else does? Hmm!  That’s no way to understand why we are here.

Let’s look at the evidence: We live on a beautiful planet. To be honest, it’s man that’s ruining it. Science doesn’t know who or what put the universe here, and yet, our planet is perfect for human habitation. We see beauty in flowers, animals, the microcosm, and the macrocosm. We see all this in colour. We love poetry, music, sport, dancing and just sitting in a summer evening with that hygge feeling as we sit watching a sundown with family and friends.

But then, we grow old, and wonder, why all this? Will it all be over for me soon. Yes, and torschlusspanik kicks in; that feeling that the doors are closing in on you. And you ask yourself again, what’s it all about?

This is where it all gets contradictory. You see, if evolution were true, we wouldn’t ask these questions. We would just say hatches, matches, and despatches, concluding that we are here to be born, mate, keep the line going and then depart. But no, we want to live forever. No. you don't believe that? Okay, when would you like to die? Tomorrow, next week, next year. No, we want to hold on to life as long as we can.

My sister was out one day and observed an old man crying as he looked at the landscape.

“Are you okay?” my sister asked.

“I see all this beauty and I don’t have much longer to live, but I want to stay.” He answered.

The old man felt like that because we have been programmed from birth to have life indefinite in our heart. Look at Ecclesiastes 3:11,

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart…” (NIV)

So, what about you and me? Is God going to give us that feeling and not open the door for us in some way?

Jesus spoke to a man when they both were dying, the man asked for Jesus to remember him when he got into his Kingdom. Look what Jesus said,

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 (NIV).

This tells us where we can go, but not why we are here, right? Okay, here is my theory. Could it be that we are born here as a test?  You see there is this story in the Book of Job where Satan said to God that man only serves God for what he can get. Job chapter 1.

Let’s just stop there to take this all in. Satan has claimed that we would serve God for selfish gain only. I think Satan has a point, don’t you? But wait, that may be true of some, but not all. There are many people out there that would give their life to God and Jesus.

But there’s another factor here. 

God permitted Satan to test Job. So, there’s no doubt who’s in power here. Rather, it’s a moral issue. A moral issue that takes humankind’s lifetime to settle.

Let’s illustrate. If I were to say to you “I’m more honest than you. “How do we settle that? It would take our lifetime. And so it goes with God putting us here. We are here to be tested as to whether we are willing to side with God or Satan on this issue regarding man being selfish or selfless towards God. Look,

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16: 9 (NIV).

Writing:  © 2024 Jim McCrory

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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