KEEP ON LOOKING
JUNE BLOG: Keep On Looking
One of my favourite tv programs as a boy was Star Trek, I was fascinated by the stars and the mysteries of the universe. One of the quotes from Spock in response to a question by Captain Kirk was ‘no life as we know it’! The quote was used in the lyrics of the quirky 80s song by the firm ‘Star Trekkin’; ‘Its life Jim, but not as we know it’!”
Probably the most famous quote in the Bible is John 3:16,
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
What is this eternal life and how do we find it? It is certainly not life as we know it!
Jesus expands on it in his high priestly prayer in John 17
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
This month saw the release of the first images from a powerful new telescope at the Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile. The observatory is situated on a mountain in the Andes known for its dry air and dark skies.
Stunning images showing distant parts of the universe have been captured by the powerful new telescope. One of these is of a region situated thousands of light years from Earth.
The telescope's work will "capture the cosmos in exquisite detail" as it repeatedly scans the sky for 10 years to "create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our universe."
It describes the images of space as a ‘Cosmic treasure chest.’
Mankind is fascinated by the mysteries of the universe, we want to know how it all started. Scripture tells us Jesus was there at the beginning. His prayer in John 17 makes that clear;
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
There can be no greater mystery than the ‘Eternal Life’ Jesus tells his followers he came to bring. That is the treasure set before mankind and the treasure that can be found in Jesus.
In a passage about dealing with life and its troubles Jesus gives this advice;
Matt. 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
The common thread to finding is seeking but the conditions need to be right if we are to get maximum benefit. Dry air and darkness are needed for the telescope as it searches for clues about the origins, formation and continual expansion of the universe.
The search is essential, because if we don’t search, we don’t find.
What conditions are necessary for mans search for eternal life?
Well, we need to be looking for it to start with.
My search started with a deep sense that there must be more to life than this. A few weeks later, I had some eye surgery and thought something had gone drastically wrong because for hours afterwards my vision was blurred and my eyes felt like I had sand in them.
In the darkness and pain I made a deal with God, if you help me to see again, I promise, I will go to church. I was not a church goer, but I was invited to church a few weeks later and 6 months later I came to faith.
I had to stop playing Rugby for a while after my surgery and explained that to my coach. I also told him I had seen the light and been converted. Quick as a flash he said WOW! That must have been some eye surgery you had!!
If I hadn’t been searching, I would not have found Jesus, I would not have realized that he held eternity in his hands, that along with the father and the Holy Spirit he brought the world and this universe into existence.
Jesus tells us Eternal life is given to those who know God the father and who know Jesus Christ, the one he sent. Those who believe in him are given this greatest of all gifts by the gracious hand of the holder of the cosmic treasure chest.
It is life but not as you know it, it is a gift from God to all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and invite him into their hearts and turn towards him, living in his glorious light.
Like the space camera, we must focus on the treasure Jesus lays before us in his word. He gives us his church to provide us with the right conditions to help us in our search.
The apostle Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians;
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived” —
the things God has prepared for those who love him.
Keep on looking!
Matt. 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.