We humans don’t do “unlimited” very well. We use the word a lot, but don’t really understand it. We need our limits because of our limited minds and our own mortality. We just can’t wrap our brains around words like never-ending, forever and eternity.
One example is outer space. It just boggles our mind that it never ends. We try to explain it but run out of words when we get past what is known or believed to be “out there.” Somewhere in the back of our minds, we think there must be an end. That is the limit of our mind, not space. Even if there was “an end” to space, what is beyond that? That question could go on forever because space is unlimited.
Time is another unlimited area where we have limits. Once again it is our minds that are limited. The very word “time” indicates a measurable limitation. Time comes in handy for us because we want to know when something happened or when it will happen. It helps us organize and plan our own limited time.
We need a beginning. We celebrate the beginning of our life, marriage, and the founding of our nation. The Bible starts with, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen 1:1 KJV) to give us a reference point, but that wasn’t when He began. He had no beginning but considered our limitations and wrote in terms we could understand.
We also need an end. Every living thing comes to an end. We spend a lot of effort figuring out when our lives will end and trying to delay that time. Yes, our bodies will die, but our spirits are eternal. The well-known hymn goes, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing GOD’s praise, then when we first begun.” That means when people are in Heaven time will not be used up and will not come to an end. That is also true for those who are in Hell.
One limitation we do have is our opportunity to accept GOD’s offer of salvation. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). That offer expires with our last heartbeat.
Wayne Lance – That’s Good News to Share!