Bishop Alvin J. McCoy Truth Gems Awareness: No. 29

​“Eternity, not time,
​expresses the thought of life”

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​"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV)

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​Before Thought, but how?

     Before we were conceived, even a thought, we were an expression of life in the mind of God. The life he thought concerning us in the beginning is the life we are living. Think about it, since we know God is omniscient, all things were considered in our lives we are walking out his thoughts. Let’s slow this down for a minute, I remember being in school and the question of free will versus determinism arose. How can one really have “Free Will,” if God already knows the end of the story? Wouldn’t this mean that we really don’t have free will? In actuality, although God knows what we will do and think before we do…it doesn’t change the fact “WE” have no idea. I can relate this to virtual games in which the life of the avatar is in our hands. We can give them extreme free will, but we set or determine the pace for the game. In the same way, this is how the Lord does with us. He can see the intricate details of the painting, even down to the color mixtures, but since we are a part of the artwork we see close up. Remember that God has and will ALWAYS have the better vantage point in our lives. This should give us a since of gratefulness for the amount of detail in our lives.
​     At times we take for granted the Lord’s attention to detail. Sometimes we think that things happen by accident or on purpose, and God is experiencing what we are dealing with at the same time we are. Nothing catches God by surprise. Here’s a funny thought: God is so good, he surprises surprise. However, this is not that far off, if we consider that Jeremiah reminds us of his thoughts towards us that are good..., but there is another side to this. Although God knows what we will do, we don't. In Deuteronomy 30:19 says "I call heaven and earth to record (H5749 - to bear witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."  (H) – stands for Hebrew and is found in the Old Testament.

When time begins to express our thoughts

     Rene Descartes wrote in this famous line in his Discourse on the Method “Cogito ergo sum: I think, therefore I am;” however, before him God gave to King Solomon “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he (Prov. 23:7a) and Apostle Paul “…but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2b). When we are young, we all have that one person in our corner to remind us that our altitude in life is based on our attitude. Not all the time can you remain positive about a situation, but what you can do is change the way you see it.
  This requires a trust in God. Although we cannot see what he’s doing in the background, “For we walk by faith, and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We have all experienced a time when our life began to reflect our negative thoughts, but once we change our perspective we will see differently. Time is the one thing we stress about, we begin to see things incorrectly due to our own time table. One thing to remember is disappointment resides in time. When things don’t work out according to our time table, disappointment chases us down to remind us that we are not where “WE,” not God, wants us to be. We have to consider that we are right where God desires us to be at this time. God resides in a timeless state, and he wants us to remember: “Time is subject to him and not vice versa.”

​Eternity expresses God’s thoughts
​“I know the plans I have for you…” Jeremiah 29:11

​     God gives us a choice of whatever path we will take, we can choose to live for him or choose not to. God even gives us a choice in how we will think concerning our lives. All self-help gurus thrive on the understanding: “If I can get you to change your thoughts, I can change and mold you.” However, let’s go back in time to the moment God inspired Apostle Paul to write: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” Philippians 4:8 (KJV).
     Look at Joseph; although he went through from the jealousy of his brothers, to the pit they threw him in, to his finally his position in the palace. Joseph had to endure harness as a good soldier. He was ripped from his family, by his family, but he kept his gaze on God’s eternal message to him that one day his family would bow to him (Gen. 37:5-11). Joseph could have stopped believing due to the current situation in time, but he believed in the eternal God, knowing that God’s word will NEVER come back void…, but he, like we, had to and have to wait.
     God is merciful and kind; he has bestowed upon us his grace, if we will take it. God's eternal thoughts are expressed in his love for us. His dying on the cross to give us life, his blood, and his forgiveness along with the other countless actions...But remember we are walking out God’s words, and these are words being spoken from eternity in the beginning. As a final thought 1Peter 2:9-10 says "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities." Please allow the eternal thoughts of God's goodness and love cause you to walk in the path that pleases him. Even in this last scripture God wants to remind us of his eternal thoughts for his children, while not forgetting about those who will not accept him. Choose wisely...Selah (stop and think)...Choose God.

The Scribe