Foretastes

May 19, 2008

Joe,

Last night after I preached Michelle needed me to run to Shoprite for a few things, and when I got out of the car I was treated to a nice sunset. Maybe it wasn’t as sweet as this picture, but it was certainly an echo of glory.

Anyway, as I was enjoying the nice sunset I headed toward the door and caught a glimpse of a big ashtray with a bunch of smelly cigarette butts in it.

Within just a few seconds, I was reminded of both the immense potential for beauty in God’s creation, and the manifold ways in which we humans have marred God’s good creation by exchanging His glory to pursue our happiness in lesser things.

Both in the displays of glory and the displays of corruption, God is giving us foretastes of the massive, cosmic scope of the redemption that has been purchased by the death and resurrection of Jesus. The sunset reminds me that even now visible manifestations of the Kingdom of God are all around us. The ashtray reminds me of the multitude of ways in which the creation is still groaning, eagerly awaiting its freedom from bondage to decay.

In a thousand ways every day, God is whispering to us about the awesome transformation of all things that He will work at the return of Jesus. May both the foretastes of glory and the reminders of corruption increase our longing for what Jesus called ‘the regeneration’ (Matthew 19:28), the new world in which all that is now marred by sin will be made new.

Readers: Where have you seen foretastes of glory and reminders of corruption around you today?

Larry

Posted by Larry | Filed Under Random Musings, Seeking Him 

Comments

2 Responses to “Foretastes”

  1. Jim W on May 25th, 2008 10:31 pm

    Hi, Larry,
    In my profession, I have the privilege of interacting with families every day. My favorite part of my job has got to be seeing the newborns in the nursery — what a great way to start the workday, seeing these little miracles. Parents are all smiles; it’s just great. Truly a glimpse of God’s glory in His creation.

    Flash forward about six years. I have decided to call this the age of disillusionment, where I see parents just begin to give up on their kids. It came to me yesterday — this notion of the age of disillusionment — at a kids birthday party, when I heard a mom say about a baby: “Oh, he’s so cute now. Enjoy him while he still can’t talk back and mouth off to you.” (I can’t stand comments like that, yet you can see a nugget of truth there.)
    Yes, we are conceived in sin, but along the way, we demonstrate our increasing ability to exercise that sinful nature, right on up into our adulthood.
    Thanks be to God who has rescued us from sure destruction through the atoning, saving death of His beloved Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ,

    Jim

  2. Larry on May 26th, 2008 7:29 am

    Great insight Jim. Thanks for sharing!

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