“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1

“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether throne or dominion or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:15-17

Let’s think for a few minutes about the astounding assertions found in the verses quoted above. Consider the following:

• Genesis 1:1 is speaking of the beginning of creation, NOT the beginning of God. The statement actually asserts three amazing facts about God: 1) It asserts God’s eternality. God, who has existed forever, created the heavens and the earth at some point in time. However, He is not confined to time and space, but acts within time and space at His pleasure. 2) It asserts God’s creativity. God, at His discretion and for His pleasure, created everything that exists. Nothing could exist outside of God’s creative activity. 3) It asserts God’s authority over His created order. Nothing can happen within His creation other than that which has been allowed by His sovereignty.
• Colossians 1:15-17 attests to the fact that Jesus Christ is the agent of creation. All things were created by Him and for Him. And please note carefully the phrase, “by Him all things hold together.” It is by His authority that the entirety of the created order literally continues to exist. A simple illustration may be helpful. There is a power in the universe that is referred to as gravity. On our planet, it is the power of gravity that keeps everything in place. Think about how truly amazing that is. Our planet is spinning on its axis at a speed of over 25,000 miles per hour. What keeps everything from flying off the face of this planet? Gravity. But in actuality, Paul asserts that it is Christ who holds all things together. Now, expand that to encompass the entirety of the universe. What keeps the stars and planets locked in place at a consistent distance from the sun? What enables us to determine times and seasons with absolute accuracy? What is the force that maintains perfect unity in the cosmos? According to Paul, it is Jesus.
• Given the fact that all things were created by Him and for Him, it only stands to reason that nothing can happen outside of His control. Note that Paul asserts the visible as well as the invisible were created by Him. There are things visible to the human eye, and there are things that are hidden from the human eye. All of them were created by Him. Nothing exists but that which was created by Him. Thus, the summation would be that everything in all of the created order has a place and purpose in the eternal plans of God.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, can occur without God’s involvement.

Now, let’s get to the subject of this blog: how to live our best life now. What I am about to say is going to sound overly simplistic, albeit controversial, and yet it is what I feel we need to understand if we are to live life to the fullest, even in the face of a world-wide pandemic. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can occur without God’s involvement. A simple statement, but tremendously controversial for many since this concept of God does not fit within the parameters of their theological framework.

Let me try to explain what I mean by comparing Christianity in America to Christianity in the New Testament. It seems to me that American Christians, for the most part, have allowed themselves to buy into the health, wealth and prosperity gospel. Please understand when I use the word ‘gospel’ here I am not referring to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament, but rather the ‘gospel’ presented by many self-proclaimed theological experts who seem to believe that a good God would never allow bad things to happen to His people. Yet, just a cursory reading of the Bible will reveal God not only allows bad things to happen, but oftentimes ordains them to happen.

We often quote, or see quoted, this much memorized verse found in Second Chronicles:

“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14

What most see here is the wonderful promise of God to hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and heal our land. And indeed, what wonderful promises they are! Yet, the preceding verse is much too often completely overlooked. Read carefully these words found in Second Chronicles 7:13:

“If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people…”

2 Chronicles 7:13

The “I” is emphatic, being repeated three times to stress God’s personal activity. He causes the drought; He destroys the land; He sends the pestilence. Not only does God give this warning, He displays the reality of these dire consequences time after time with His chosen people throughout the Old Testament.

There are many lessons to be learned from these observations, but I would focus on only one in this blog: the present world-wide health crisis did not catch God off-guard. Remember, since He is the creator of all, has authority over all, and governs over all, then this present crisis, along with all others throughout history, fit within the parameters of His purpose and plan.

So, how are we to live in light of this Biblical teaching? We are to live our life today, and every day, in such a way as to show our trust in Him. As believers, we are to commit our lives to Him, and trust that He will bring anything and everything into our personal experiences that fit into His purpose for our lives. For some, this will mean a life of good health, comfortable prosperity, and little hardship. For others, it will mean a life of sickness, a struggle to make ends meet, and continual heartache and hardship. Still others will experience times of each throughout their lives. From the eternal perspective, such things should be of little importance. We are to entrust our lives to Him, and believe that He always has our best interest in mind.

And finally, we are to live this life with our eyes fixed on the life to come. As I have stated in previous blogs, we need to follow the advice of the Apostle Paul. Read carefully and prayerfully these words:

“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:1-2

To live our best life now is to live it in light of eternity. When we begin doing that, we begin seeing by faith the amazing truth that God has a purpose and plan for my life, and will only allow those things in my life that will prove to be best in light of my eternal home with Him.

Are you blind? Use your blindness for His glory. Are you stricken with a chronic illness? Use that illness for His glory. Have you suffered loss: of a loved one to death; of a business to bankruptcy; of a child to waywardness; of any of a million other possibilities? Allow Him to show you how that fits within the parameters of His plan.

And finally, learn once again from Paul through his words in his second letter to the Corinthians:

“Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Let’s live our best life now by entrusting our lives to Him, and trusting Him in our lives. When we have been the recipient of comfort, let us use our experience to bring comfort to others. And through it all, remember that no matter how good, or bad, this life may seem, the best life is yet to come!