"Fear God, Love God, Serve God": "Eternal Moments"

"And Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; Be it unto me according to thy word. And the Angel departed from her."

(Luke 1:38)

Moments that change the course of history; moments when time seems to stand still, supernatural moments; moments of ethereal destiny; moments that have no definition; moments recalled with awe; moments like that of Mary, the mother of Jesus, when the angel told her she had been chosen and would have a virgin birth; she would be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son and of his kingdom there would be no end; moments that defy logic; moments of hushed visitation ... they're called "Eternal Moments."

"And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree,

behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto

him, Arise and eat."

(I Kings 19:5)

The prophet Elijah was fleeing for his life from Jezebel; Ahab told her how Elijah had slain all the prophets of Baal and she vowed that the same would happen to him. So, Elijah fled for days into the wilderness, ending up in a cave, where he had a "moment " ... the Angel of the Lord fed him, and he went in the strength of that meat for forty days and forty nights. The Lord came to him and told him to go stand upon the Mount Horeb before the Lord. He did and there was a strong wind that rent the mountains ... but the Lord was not in the wind; there was an earthquake that broke the rocks in pieces ... but the Lord was not in the earthquake; then there was a fire ... but the Lord was not in the fire. After this, there was a "still small voice;" and the Lord asked him why he was there and he said, "I, even I only am left, and they seek my life to take it away." It turned out he was not the only one left; there were seven thousand who had not bowed their knees to Baal.

The noise of the world blocks out the "still small voice" of the Lord. Moments that could literally change our life's course are sometimes eliminated, because there's too much clatter, too many distractions, and not enough "stillness" to hear God speak. "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

Some are not comfortable sitting still in the quiet, for hours, "waiting on God." You say, "I just don't have time to do that." None of us have time to do it; we must make time to do it ... that is, if we want to hear from Him ... Moses climbed a mountain; Daniel prayed seven times a day; Abraham rose early to obey horrific orders ... these were moments of hunger and unfailing love for the God of their souls. Moments that are unearthly and that have eternal indepth consequences require consecration, obedience, and a listening heart.

"And the angel of the LORD said unto

her, return to thy mistress, and submit

thyself under her hands."

(Genesis 16:9)

Hagar was pregnant with Ishmael, and no doubt she was scared. Sarah had turned her over to Abraham to bear a child with him, and now she was despised in Sarah's eyes, because she was indeed with child, and Sarah was jealous. The turmoil in the Middle East goes back to these roots. It's a family feud going on, and it will continue until Jesus Christ, our Lord, comes back. The consequences to the orders given to Hagar are in our headlines today. Hagar's "moment" resounds with the world's attention these thousands of years later.

Have you done things that, at the moment they occurred, you had no idea they would affect your life for many years to come, and now, today, you still feel the effects of them. We all have. The good news is: Jesus Christ our Lord holds "moments" in His hands. If it was a moment we wish had never happened; our repentance can remove the struggle, the shame, the trouble in our souls that resulted. A bended knee, sincere heartfelt sorrow for all of our sins, and asking for the Lord's forgiveness will lift that heavy burden. No, it doesn't erase the scar, but it lifts the tonnage of guilt that has weighed us down for so long, and kept us from happiness and peace ... suddenly, after repentance, it's gone! We feel light as a flittering feather dancing in the breeze ... an eternal moment ...

"And when he had opened the seventh seal,

there was silence in heaven about the space of

half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which

stood before God; and to them were given seven

trumpets. And another angel came and stood at

the altar, having a golden censer; and there was

given unto him much incense, that he should offer it

with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar

which was before the throne."

(Revelation 8:1-3)

This will be an eternal moment in heaven. Do our prayers really reach God? Do our prayers make a difference? Are we just talking in the wind when we pray? The answer is Yes, Yes, and No. The prayers of the saints are so important that a golden moment will be taken to lift those prayers up before God and then cast them to earth, where there will be voices, thunderings, lightning and an earthquake. The power of prayer is yet to be seen!

It's all about Moments that have eternal consequences; moments that change our lives and the lives of everyone around us; moments that the angels desire to look into; moments that stop time; moments of splendor and beauty ... Moments ... moments we wish could last forever ...

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we

take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Moments ... hands lifted, tears flowing down repented cheeks and tongues of fire being spoken in a language never learned; the brush of angels' wings in a smoky misty anointed service where one almost dares not to breathe so as to interrupt the presence of God in the midst of mortals; the stillness that swooshes into the holiness of a humbled waiting sanctuary, with the aroma of roses lingering ... Moments ...

Are there moments in earth that last forever? Are there moments that are Joy unspeakable and full of Glory? Are there moments that will take us through life with the power of heaven buoying us on the wings of Eagles?

Holy Ghost Baptism

It happened then: