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

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October 22, 2018 

READ: Isaiah 52:1-12 

I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognise that I am the one who speaks to them (v.6).

Hanging up the phone, I gathered a few items and waited for my husband to arrive. He’d just called from the church where he and our son had been working on a few building repairs. From the brief exchange, I learned that our son had been in an accident but was stable enough for us to drive him to the hospital. Even with uncertainties pounding in my mind, I knew in that moment how important it was to make my worship stronger than my worries. The supremacy of God and His goodness had not changed.

Perhaps there’s no more strident awakening than crisis. Shaken by the unexpected, we reach past everyday routine and settled complacency for the sureness of God’s hand. Tempted to know God simply for what He can do, we discover in the unknown an invitation to become intimate with the God before whom nothing is hidden (Isaiah 45:3).

The people of Judah had been taken captive by sin through the illusion that it would secure human affection, security and success. But Isaiah called them to “wake up” to their inheritance: they were set apart for God (Isaiah 52:1). They’d doubted God’s goodness, but their pursuits had served only to leave them dominated by what they’d wanted to eliminate: the reality of being controlled by someone or something outside of themselves (vv.2-5).

God answered their distress as He answers ours—with the call to know Him. More than a means of identification, His name reveals His splendour (v.6). Even so, His sovereignty isn’t founded in domination but restoration (vv.9-11).

Jesus suffered so that we might connect directly with the Father (vv.14-15). Through knowing God, we can experience the strength of His unconditional love and sure covering, even in life’s uncertainties (v.12).

—Regina Franklin

365-day plan: Acts 9:32-42

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)