"And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." (Revelation 21:5)
Needling
All things? Really? But doesn't history repeat itself? Good, bad, indifferent. It really doesn't matter. You can put on whatever color glasses you prefer and view history from the side of the victors or the spoiled or the jesters. But all throughout, God is weaving His narrative through every person's heart who wants Him. And when one accepts Jesus on His grounds, the needle is inserted and you become part of His story. His tapestry. As an aside, sticking needles in one's eye actually happens in ophthalmology clinics. Let it be known.
"And it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?" (Luke 18:25-26)
When I first read that (and was first taught it), I envisioned the infinitesimal hole through which one threads a needle. Opposite the business end, of course. While this is what I saw in my mind's eye, I've also read and heard that Jesus was in fact referring to a gate in Jerusalem through which only camels--unencumbered of course--pass through. Either way, however, the point comes across. It's impossible for one to "enter into the Kingdom of God" unless they divest and winnow. At least that's my interpretation. But the question remains. It doesn't matter what one possesses, God is the one who meets needs. To where, yes, the things you possess are indeed yours, but you're also willing to give what the Holy Spirit intimates to your heart. Following Him for ourselves allays all the trouble we get vexed with due to too much possession.
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." (Ephesians 4:28)
On pins and needless
Have you ever lost everything? I can't say I have. I have, however, felt some deep depths to be sure. My parents divorced in my late teens and suffice it to say, little in my life (as I still had all my stuff) meant anything to me. I remember an inward edict of mine around that time to only want a few but really nice (i.e. meaningful) articles of clothing. Yes, I'm dismayed when things wear down but it's also the natural order of things. I give it away. And I'm replenished. But it's from God. I find then that the state of our relationship to God imbues our relationship to our world and our accoutrements. And when God gives you something, it always shines with a beauty and depth and...I'm just going to call it a calm that "stuff" bereft of a story possesses. An eternal "newness" as it were.
"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah." (Psalm 68:19)
"But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:18-19)
As my dad would say, there's a difference between being "spoiled" and being "spoiled rotten". Nothing wrong with the former because God is the most generous person I know. It's the hoarding (for lack of a better word) of those things we think add to our life that are indeed holding us down and back. Think about all the camel can hold inside.