A Preview

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 ESV). The newest installment of Star Wars is set for release in December. I have been a fan since the beginning and it seems this new episode will be as good as ever. The previews are spectacular. I must admit that you cannot always be guaranteed to have a good film from the preview. Sometimes the previews for a film are better than the film itself. But people don't go to the movie theater to see a preview; they go to see the movie. That truth began my thinking about our reading today. In many ways, life on earth is like the preview, and the film is like eternity. The big event is the afterlife, because eternity is eternal, needless to say. It has been said that eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset, but eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise. Everyone will live eternally, Christians and non-Christians alike. So that is not the biggest issue. The biggest issue is where we will spend eternity. As a believer, I know that I will be with Christ in heaven. And I know that one day Jesus will come back to Earth and establish His kingdom. I have put my faith and my hope in Christ. And this hope is not wishful thinking or blind optimism; it is a quiet confidence, a supernatural certainty. From the moment we are born, we are on a quest, prewired to long for something more. The reason is because God has made us in His image. Deep in our hearts, we have a longing to be with God. And until that day, we are essentially living between two worlds. There is an inscription on a tombstone in Wetumpka, Alabama that reads: Here lies Solomon Peas Under the lilies and under the trees Peas is not here, only the pod Peas has shelled out and gone home to God Don’t laugh it not only rhymes, it is true. There is a time coming when all of us who have been born again will simply go home to God. That will be a home beyond anything we have even imagined in its goodness. As much as we may enjoy our homes on earth, they are nothing but a weak preview for the feature yet to come!