More to Follow

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. (Romans 7:4-6 ESV). Spurgeon often told the story of a large sum of money that was given to Rowland Hill to dispense to a poor pastor. Thinking that the amount was too much to send all at once, Hill forwarded just a portion along with a note that said simply, “More to follow.” In a few days the man received another envelope containing the same amount and with the same message, “More to follow.” At regular intervals, there came a third, and a fourth. In fact, they continued, along with those cheering words, until the entire sum had been received. He used this story to illustrate that the good things we receive from God always come with the same prospect of more to follow. He said: “When God forgives our sins, there’s more forgiveness to follow. He justifies us in the righteousness of Christ, but there’s more to follow. He adopts us into His family, but there’s more to follow. He prepares us for heaven, but there’s more to follow. He gives us grace, but there’s more to follow. He helps us to old age, but there’s still more to follow.” Spurgeon concluded, “Even when we arrive in the world to come, there will still be more to follow.” That’s forever life. Have you given any thought to the concept of eternity? Woody Allen said, “Eternity is very long especially at the end.” That’s humorous, but of little help. Someone else has said, “Have you ever pondered how long eternity is or how important salvation is? Perhaps one could get a slight glimpse of eternity if he would try to calculate the number of leaves that has ever grown on every plant and tree since creation and multiply that huge number times 10,000. If each unit was a year, that alone would be a staggering number, but it still isn't close enough to the concept of eternity. Much more needs to be considered. Let's add to that value another one produced by multiplying every hair that ever grew on every person, from the creation of Adam to present, times 10,000. To that we should next multiply 10,000 times every grain of sand along all of the seashores and coastlines throughout the entire world. To this we then should add the number produced by multiplying 10,000 times every snowflake and raindrop that ever fell from the creation of the world. But then this is still much too small a number! To that we should multiply 10,000 times every dust molecule that has ever floated in the air that is far too small for us see with the naked eye. And add to that number 10,000 times every star in all of the innumerable galaxies in the universe. But even then, if all those incalculably large numbers were added together and that number would be years as we know it now, that could only be the first second in eternity! More to follow! That’s what our God has reserved for us through His grace!