February 12, 2016

PPIL
1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV - "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered  into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'"

Commentary:

The POWER of this passage of Scripture can inspire believers with an immeasurable amount of anticipation as to what they can expect from their AWESOME and MAGNIFICENT GOD!!  The thoughts that believers have had when considering the claims stated here are wonderful.

First, consider those who lived in the Old Testament times.  This is a quotation from Isaiah 64:4 and you can just wonder what believers must have enjoyed in their thoughts as to what the future would be like.  Remember, they had not yet seen God's actual work through Christ at Calvary and the Resurrection.  Could they have imagined the finished work of Christ there?!  It must have delighted their hearts to think of what God would do to provide them a finished reality to all their sacrifices they made at the Tabernacle and in the Temple!  We, of course, have the joy of seeing the finished picture, though we really still need to comprehend it more and more.  But to the Old Testament saint, they could only wonder.

Second, consider our eternal future in Glory.  Paul speaks in Ephesians 2:7 that for all eternity God will be showing us the "riches of His grace."  Our joy is to know that there will never be an end to what God has in store for us!  (More about this in a future commentary).

Third, think about NOW!  This is where the POWER of this PASSAGE has IMPACTED my LIFE!!  As I began reading the Scriptures and seeing God work in both Old and New Testaments times I became convinced that God meant for us in our day to see that there is so much He wants to do with us here on earth before we even reach heaven's shores.  There is no telling what God can do with any believer who is fully dedicated to Him in this life time!  Many outstanding Christians have made this statement.  I remember hearing how Dwight L. Moody, famous evangelist from the late 1800's, said, "There is no telling what God can do with one Christian who is sold out for him!"  And Moody became just such a person.  It is said of him that in his lifetime he reached over 100 million people with the Gospel.  He was a "Billy Graham" of the 19th century!

Do you believe God can do things in your life and use you in fantastic ways here and now?!  I believe that!  But one of the neat things is that we may never actually see this in operation!  How's that?  Heaven will reveal the impact each believer had on other people during their lifetime and they didn't even realize God was using them!  There may be countless people in heaven who will share how your life was a blessing to them!

Oh, there's so much more to say, but think about this:  Can you imagine what God has planned for you if you would dedicate your life fully to Him?  You see, God doesn't need great people to do great things.  He wants ordinary people through whom GOD can do great things!  Would you ask God to use you like that?