ODJ: The Eternal Gift

October 23, 2018 

READ: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 

He has planted eternity in the human heart (v.11).

In the book Tales of a Fifth-Grade Knight, some children discover an underground world where people can go to become immortal. They soon realise, however, that there’s a catch. The process is wildly unpredictable, transforming would-be immortals into random objects or creatures for years before their goal can be attained. After witnessing the harrowing ordeal of those trapped in “the strange in-between”, the children decide that immortality isn’t worth it.

This tale offers a vivid illustration of the unwise choices that some are willing to make while attempting to live forever. And it hints at a serious truth underscored by Solomon, who wrote that God “has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). With deep insight, Solomon pointed out that it can be easy to focus on one aspect of eternity (youth, or that which is immediately visible), while losing sight of the bigger, eternal picture.

In God’s scheme of things, there’s a time for everything—to be born, live out life on earth and ultimately to die (vv.1-2). Death is a sad part of human experience, and it can’t be denied or put off with schemes or anti-ageing techniques.

However, it doesn’t have to be the final word. Jesus gave His life so that “everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). For God “has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).

The human heart’s desire to live forever can’t be satisfied by the stuff of earth; rather, its fulfilment is found in God through the gift of His Son, Jesus. And there’s no catch—just the joy of being in His presence forever!

—Remi Oyedele

365-day plan: Acts 10:1-23