Eternal Love
By Ron McGatlin
In the economy of God with man, the value of all things is affected by its quality and quantity of usefulness to heaven and earth.
Prioritizing life involves establishing the value of how the precious moments of awareness and potency of our allotted lifetimes on this earth are spent.
Life in God is eternal. However, our time of natural life in our earthly bodies is only for a limited season. Moment by moment and day by day the normal reservoir of natural life is lessened as the allotted season of natural life is consumed by time.
As a child it seems that natural life has no end. In maturity, experience teaches us that there is only a relatively brief season of this life. We watch as those we have followed in the experience of this life, grow old and are gone. If we look over our shoulder behind us we see those who are following after us in the continuing stream of people walking through this life.
As a young man in my teens without God, I marveled at the empty futility of life. There was no conceivable purpose for being born, going to school, always chores to be done and finally growing up to work all your life, having babies so they can go through the same tedious empty things for no reason except to grow up and start the futile process all over again. I was left with only self-pleasure as the purpose of my life.
Can you imagine the deep satisfaction and joy when at 21 years of age, God miraculously came into my life? And, suddenly there was purpose to life, where the moment before there had been only empty futility. Now, after all these years that moment when I first knew LOVE is still fresh in my memory. Tears still come to my eyes as I remember that morning when I first experienced the Love of God. I had never known that anyone could really love me. It was overwhelming. Life began at that moment. Everything changed or began to change.
Purpose in Life
The treasure I had found in the love of God had given me real life. Purpose for life quickly came into focus. Everyone needed to know this love that changed all life and removed the emptiness and futility. Knowing the love of God and loving Him could bring this wondrous life to everyone. They all needed to know Jesus and receive His love that would bring to them exciting life with purpose. Everyone needed to know that Jesus loved them so much that He died for them. Yes, I was very evangelistic and zealous to reach out to everyone with the gospel of salvation.
Years of dedicated training in religious church systematic theology refocused my love connection toward study of the word and doing church things. The deep feeling that there was more than this was deep within, but covered by layers of religious training.
Another Suddenly From God
Again, God miraculously intervened in my life and poured out His Spirit on me while I was sitting alone, praying, on a creek bank. A process began that washed away all that I had been taught about the cessation of the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The wondrous love of God was not just restored but moved to even a more mature and intense level. This initiated a tumultuous season of destruction of all I had built in life and all that religion and need had built in me. It was unbelievably painful to watch all things of past life figuratively burn to the ground or crumble into powder.
One More Suddenly
Again, God miraculously intervened in my life. This was the biggest one of all. In the mid 1980s, after years of death to past life and a work of deliverance, cleansing, and healing, I was still in this process when everything changed again. Everything had come to an end. There was nothing left for me to do in ministry or business or in receiving ministry.
I was at a start-over moment. Again, as before when God had intervened, I was alone—this time in a quiet travel trailer beside the house. I decided to just start over reading the New Testament. As I read from the book of Matthew, a word jumped out at me again and again. I wondered why this word that had seemed somewhat generic, with insignificant meaning before, suddenly stood out. I asked God a simple question. The answer to that question changed my life forever. “God, what does the word KINGDOM really mean? Why did Jesus speak it so much?”
I was overwhelmed as God began pouring revelation of His kingdom—now on earth—into me. Bible passages that were hard to understand and even harder to explain began to make perfect sense, with new meaning in the light of His kingdom. It was an open heaven-type experience. Every question I asked God was immediately answered with wisdom and understanding beyond anything I had ever known. This enlightenment and understanding of the Bible continued to develop over time. I was often amazed at how things made such simple and profound sense and brought such inner peace. Every day of my life since that day in the 80s has been consumed with what is, for me, at least the ultimate purpose of life on earth.
Ultimate Purpose
Beyond being born again and beyond being baptized in Holy Spirit is the kingdom of God life – the kingdom of heaven on earth as it is in heaven. God had a purpose in providing redemption through faith in Christ and the empowerment of the life of Christ in us by the Holy Spirit. All that God has provided for mankind through Christ Jesus is for the ultimate purpose of God’s kingdom of eternal love to rule in this world. The LOVE of God flows through mankind to the world, reflecting the glory of His love back to Him and to all creation. The testimony of the glory of God in Christ is to shine to every corner of earth, and out to the limits of creation. The kingdom of God on Planet Earth as it is in heaven flowing God’s love and glory to all creation is the ultimate purpose of human life on earth and in heaven.
Worthy is the LAMB! Glory to God Almighty!
The mystery of the ages is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY!
Col 1:27: To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Rev 11:15: Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
Isa 9:6-7: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. Psa 72:19
Keep on pursuing love. It never fails and His kingdom never ends.
Ron McGatlin
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