As we know there are 2 kinds of Glory - Temporal Glory and Eternal Glory. The Glory that is seen is temporal. Glory not seen is eternal.
To get any Glory a price has to be paid. Those who fail to pay the price, Glory eludes them.
Temporal Glory
Majority of the people in the world including many TPMites are in search of Temporal Glory. The currency to get temporal glory is money. Just money is not enough. One has to give their time as well.
We don’t need any revelation to know about temporal glory. They are always before our eyes through advertisements in paper, internet, TV, movies and the lifestyles of people in the world.
The desire for temporal glory makes us to do lot of sacrifices. Based on the sacrifices we make, we receive temporal glory.
To earn Rs 25 lakhs per month, parents make their children to get trained to enter IIT even while they are studying in class 5 by enrolling their kids in schools like Narayana, FITJEE.
To become a sports star, parents train their children in sports from a young age of 4 years!
Viswanathan Anand started to play chess while he was just 4 years old. He played and played and became a world champion earning temporal glory.
Sachin started to play cricket from a very young age and was at the ground for practice every day morning without fail. His love for temporal glory made him sacrifice so much and ultimately he attained temporal glory.
Eternal Glory
Very very few people in the world are in search of Eternal Glory. The currency to get Eternal Glory is Faith on God. Along with Faith on God, one has to give their time as well.
The sadus we see in the Himalayas have sacrificed all things to get eternal glory.
It is revealed only to us that to receive eternal glory we don’t have to leave the society and live on the Himalayas. Even while living in the society and doing normal activities like any human one can get eternal glory. What is needed is living a life of faith on God.
Man’s life can be divided into following parts.
Up to 12 years - childhood
13 to 19 years – Teen age
20 to 30 years – Find a job and settle in it, get married
31 to 40 years – Grow in the job, have kids, build house by taking loan
41 to 50 years – Cling to the job, educate kids
51 to 60 years – Get kids married
61 to 70 years – Retired life, spend time with grand children
71 to 75 years - Depart the world
Up to 12 years - Parents, Sunday school teachers and servants of God teach us about eternal glory right from our childhood. We can have a godly childhood and also win many center prizes in Sunday school.
13 to 19 years – It is during this phase worldly ambitions attacks us and dominates us and accordingly we do our college education.
20 to 30 years - we may practice the teachings of the church in part or in full. How we fare on the crucial next phase depends on how we fare in this phase.
31 to 40 years is the time our faith on God is really tested. It is in this period most are unable to enter the wilderness. Our faith on God dries out. Fear of the future takes hold of us and we forsake the teachings we have learned from our childhood and start to live like any unsaved person in the world. We begin to take loan thereby begin to walk by sight instead of walking by faith. Fear of death catch hold of us and we begin to take medicine. We become slave to money and to the fear of death. We were saved but now have entered into bondage once again.
On the contrary, if we live a life trusting on God and do not take loan, then God would be very close to us and we would have many small spiritual experiences which will make us to understand God. We won’t be tested very much on this phase because we have a good job and we have a hand full salary.
41 to 50 years – since we have to repay our loan, we continue to live a double life. We know the truth but we cannot live by the truth 100%. Because we have to repay that loan, we need the job. So we please our boss and we are unable to live by the principles of Christ. Fear of losing the job and the possibility of non-payment of installments haunts us. Our journey goes more away from the path of God.
On the contrary, had we spent our 31 to 40 years without taking loan, we would be standing firm on the principles of God. We won’t put our trust on man or princes. Our trust would be on God. We would be able to stand for divine healing as well. This is the phase where our faith which we had exercised for 31 to 40 years would be tested. Because we are living a life for God, Devil may make us to lose our job. We may end up having a low salary job. But we really begin to live by faith. We have literally entered the wilderness and have begun to experience the power of God in leading us. The people of the world and even the fallen believers in the church would brand us a failure. We would take such reproaches in our stride in order to win the prize that is kept before us.
All such experiences would be hidden to the person who had taken loan. They may hear sermon upon sermon but they won’t be able to understand because they are spiritually blind. The god of this world has made them his captive and has blinded them like Samson.
In other words, if we want to be led by God, the experience of not taking loan and standing for divine healing are a prerequisite. Only then we would enter the wilderness for God to lead us towards eternal Canaan.
51 to 60 years – our hypocritical life continues and we get our kids married. We who have already been sold to money, devil tempts us with easy money. We yield to the temptation and we take dowry.
61 to 70 years – living such a hypocritical life we are branded as a successful person in the church! We give testimonies, pray in the church. Hold important positions in the church. We also preach to our grandchildren on faith and trusting on God!
71 to 75 years – we depart the world and arrive at hell!
How we chart our life is in our hands. We, to whom the eternal glory has been revealed, must be willing to pay the price. When we come to the crucial 31 to 40 years phase, we should not take loan. We should live by faith on God. If we cross this phase without taking loan, then the journey God would take us would be wonderful and marvelous. The rejection, humiliation we undergo because of the stand we have taken for God would be counted as the price we have paid to win Christ. Only such can God form as His Bride. More the revelation we have about our eternal glory, more easy it would be for us to undergo rejections and humiliations.
Abraham & Rechab
Abraham started to live in tent because not only did he see the eternal glory, he also understood that only way to receive it is by living in tent rest of his life! He not only preserved the revelation in his life, he was able to create that revelation in the life of his son Isaac. Isaac in turn was able to create that revelation in the life of his son Jacob. That is why Isaac and Jacob also lived in tents when people around them were all living in houses. That is why God is not ashamed to be called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because he lived such a faith life, he was called the father of all nations, father of faith, friend of God. All nations of the world were blessed because of him!
Similar revelation Rechab had and he lived in tent even though he lived in altogether different time - during the time of kings. He not only lived by his revelation, he also made his children to live by the same revelation. The result was God made them to stand before Him!
Abraham was not perfect(that is why God asked him to walk before him perfectly) but he had faith on God which God counted as the righteousness of Abraham. This means Abraham became perfect(righteous) only by faith on God.
Job was perfect(God himself certifies that he was perfect) but God did not give him all these names like He gave to Abraham because Job did not live a faith life like Abraham. He lived in a house and built houses for his children.
Only by faith can we please God(Hebrews 11:6).
When Abraham, Isaac and Jacob themselves cannot enter into New Jerusalem but only to New Heaven, where is our chance of entering into New Jerusalem when we have taken loan and built a house and lived in it?
Alas very very few in the church have tread such a path. Only such people who have tread such a path without taking loan and stood for divine healing and not taken dowry and have successfully completed all their responsibilities by the power of God are actually eligible to be appointed as Sunday School Headmaster, Inspector and Secretary. Because there are no one living like that, people who have lived even defeated life are appointed to hold such posts by the servants of God.
Young man, won’t you risk your life to live such a life? Do you want to be called a pioneer? Future generations would see you as an example and role model and tread the path of God boldly. God will also make you His Bride!
May God help us.
