“Father, I wish I could live multiple lifetimes!” There goes Anita again, with her crazy comments. “What do you mean?” I asked her – then I hear her heart– “there is so much I would like to do. I would like to be an astronaut. I would like to be on the first rocket trip to Mars. I would like to explore, Dad. Then I would have another lifetime, where I can be a chef. I would go to chef school – I don’t know Dad – maybe a baker chef. But I love to cook. Then the next life I would be a mom. I would raise kids and teach them how to live, learn, and grow. The next life I would be a marine biologist. I would study all the animals in the deep ocean that have not even been discovered before. I would invent a camera that could withstand pressure and send it down to the depths of the ocean.” Then she keeps on going with one life time after another. “Dad, think of all we could do and accomplish if we had multiple life times.”
I have to be honest this is very intriguing. Live not just one full life, but live ten! Think of all you would do and all you would accomplish. Every time there is something new to learn. Ten lifetimes of adventure and exploring. A 1000 years of fulfillment. I think I agree with Anita. Ten lifetimes would be amazing – life changing – fulfilling.
“Better is one day in your courts than a 1000 elsewhere.”
Yet one day, in the presence of Christ is better than 10 lifetimes. One day in the Presence of the Lord is better than a lifetime of exploring Mars, exploring the depths of the ocean, mothering many children, and cooking for the kings of this earth. One day – is better. It is better than anything on earth we could imagine. Imagine the best days you have ever had; better than a 1000 wedding days, better than a 1000 births, better than a 1000 awards, better than a 1000 graduations. It is better. One day in the presence of Christ is simply better. No, not simply better. Way better. Way better than a 1000 days of your happiest moments.
Do we believe this? Do we believe God is this good and this satisfying? In America, we seem to have too low a view of God and too high of a view of ourselves. Our accomplishments rival God’s. How far from the truth this is. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he prayed to God, “Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you.” May I submit that our problem with the verse “better is one day in your courts than a 1000 elsewhere,” is that we do not understand how much God is unlike us. He is infinite, we are here for a moment – the wind blows and we are gone. He is outside of time, we are trapped in time. He speaks and everything is made, we make nothing without material we buy – like lumber. He was never created. Never. When angels appeared to people in the Bible, the people fell down as if dead. God is greater than angels. God told mortal people, if you see me you will die. Behold my friends – heaven and the highest heavens cannot contain our God. He is uncontainable, all powerful, perfect and holy, unchangeable, never created, always existing, without equal, timeless, never tiring, infinite God. Heaven cannot contain him.
Speaking of heaven, there will be no sun in heaven, because Jesus himself will be the light. Streets will be paved of gold, meaning the greatest thing on earth, gold, will be asphalt in heaven. Heaven is beyond our imagination. How much more the God that heaven cannot even contain. In Revelations, the elders stand before God praising him for eternity – and never get bored praising Him – Why? Because better is a day in his courts than 10 life times.
This God is better than exploring Mars and the deepest oceans. He is more fulfilling and more satisfying. Just a glance from Him, will satisfy all our deepest longings. Just a thought from him would bring life. And oh how he has glanced and thought of us. He sent his Son, so that we would not have a day in his courts, but an eternity. He sent his Son, so that we would have an eternity of days that were greater than our wedding day and the birth of a child. He sent his Son so that we can have infinite Joy. Do you know Him? You need to know Him!