Jump Start # 1719

1 Peter 3:3-4 “And let not your adornment be merely external  braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”

  Throughout the Scriptures we find reminders of our soul and eternity. The emphasis in the Scriptures is upon our souls. It’s from within, out of the heart that proceed evil things that defile us, Jesus tells us. It is so important at we recognize and notice these “Whispers of eternity.” We can be so consumed with the here and now that we forget about what lies ahead. With this election, it seems that everyone is obsessed with right and left and they have forgotten that there is an up and a down. We can go the entire day and not give a single thought to the eternal. We forget that we have a soul. We become so saturated with the present that we lose our connection to God and our soul is forgotten.

Remembering the eternal will help us fight temptation. Satan wants us to only see the present hour. He tries to hide our eyes to consequences of sin. Understanding that every choice either helps me get stronger or weaker in the Lord, helps with our resolve to finish the course set before us.

Remembering the eternal helps with trials and pain. It’s hard to deal with cancer, failing health, the loss of a loved one and the sorrows of this world. Keeping our eyes on the Lord, we understand someday all these things will be behind us. We realize that these are nothing more than speed bumps on our journey. We will die. We know that. We recognize that death is nothing more than a door into the next room. It’s in the next room that we want to be. It’s in that room that we will see God. All the things that bother us now, will stay behind. They don’t go with us through the door into the next room. That outlook can certainly fill our hearts with hope and faith in the Lord. What can man do to me? Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God.

Remembering the eternal puts more passion in my worship. I’m singing to God, who forgave me, blessed me and wants me to be with Him forever. That ought to help us sing with more enthusiasm. When God’s word is preached, it causes me to sit up and pay close attention. God’s talking to me through the Bible.

Remembering the eternal will guide me in putting the emphasis in life upon the things that really matter, such as character, faith, hope, love, God and forgiveness. We tend to major in the minor or insignificant things in life that in a decade really won’t matter.

Our verse today, from Peter, has this very thought in mind. Peter gives us six verses for wives. The direction is the character, heart and those whispers of eternity. He tells wives to be submissive to their husbands. This isn’t a bad thing. Husbands are to be submissive. Many do not realize this. All of us are to be submissive to the government, the eldership and even each other. Submission isn’t so much about behavior as it is attitude. It’s the bending of the will for the other. It’s allowing the other to go first. It’s a choice. It’s an inside kind of thing. Peter then adds, that “chaste and respectful behavior” of the wives. Our verse today comes next.

Peter’s thoughts remind us that we need to pay attention to how we look on the inside. The outside is the braiding of the hair, wearing gold jewelry, putting on dresses. Much of this is a sign of wealth, especially in those times. Many of the Christians were poor. Many were servants. Peter reminds servants in the previous chapter how to behave. Servants wouldn’t be found dressing the way Peter is describing these wives. This may be an extreme illustration or there could have been some well-to-do brethren among them. Either way, what good is it to look snappy on the outside and forget to dress yourself on the inside? Hollywood does this.  Some will wear dresses that costs more than a car, but their language, lifestyle and attitudes are dirty, messy and ungodly. They forgot their insides. Peter wants wives to put on a spirit of gentleness, which he tells us is precious in the sight of God.

Remembering your insides. We need that. We can look good Sunday morning at church, but come with sorry attitudes, bitter spirits or unthankful hearts. We certainly look sharp on the outside, but the insides is what matters. The insides can heal wounds or they can separate and divide. Our words can offer hope and a second chance or they can close the door to others. Selfish and demanding or thankful and generous—those are the inside things that make all the difference in our fellowship, unity and being the people of God.

God is more concerned with our insides than our outsides. I doubt that God really cares if our socks are plain blue, or if they even match. What He does care about is what I think about you. He cares about what I think about Him. This is the difference we find in the world today. There are many who have mastered making the outside look impressive, but there is simply nothing on the inside. The showroom dazzles, but the warehouse is empty. Beautiful looking homes that are occupied with families that cannot communicate, share or forgive one another. Impressive looking church buildings filled with empty lives that do not follow the Bible. Great careers that are not leading anyone toward God. We live in times where the external has surpassed the internal. We live in times in which eternality has become forgotten.

May we be better than this. May we realize that God has placed eternity within our hearts, as Solomon tells us. May we see things through the eyes of God. Things look so differently from God’s side of things. May we realize, as David told Jonathan, that there is but a step between us and death. Only a step.

What we need today are more spiritual giants. We need men and women whose hearts dwell in eternity. We need folks who are living as if one foot is already in Heaven.

I hope this little journey through the “Whispers of eternity” has helped you set your compass back toward Heaven.

It won’t be long until we are out of here. Let us keep the faith. Let us finish the course.

Roger