For the beauty of the earth

Several evenings while we were on vacation in Panama City Beach we went down to the beach to watch the sunset. Sunsets are always beautiful, but when they occur over the ocean they are even more spectacular. I spent three years in the Navy on board an aircraft carrier. We would go weeks at a time without seeing land, but the ocean still fascinates me with its energy, its power, and its beauty.

A few years ago my wife and I rode our motorcycle through the bad lands of South Dakota and up to Mount Rushmore. Both were incredible. I've had the opportunity to fly over the Grand Canyon and even from the air could sense a little of how grand it truly is. I've watched whales swim in the Pacific Ocean and large pods of dolphins follow our ship into the harbor of Rio de Janeiro. I've walked through the Orchid Garden in Singapore and could not believe how beautiful it was.

Last night my wife and I watched the International Space Station fly overhead. Every time I know we can view it we go outside to watch it fly past even if it's just for a few minutes. It is such a technological marvel it never gets old.

Throughout my life I've had the opportunity to see many incredible sights, things growing up as a boy on dairy farms in southern Indiana I never expected to see. However, nothing will compare to the time when I will stand before God and be in His glorious presence. The Bible tells us that eye has not seen and ear has not heard what glorious things await us on that day.

It simply isn't possible for the mind to conceive what that will be like. To be in the presence of God, the Creator of all the universe, and His Son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life for my sins is an experience that our mortal minds cannot envision. It's no wonder the Scriptures say that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. We will be unable to stand in the presence of such glory.

Each of us will experience this at the end of our lives. For those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we will be welcomed into the eternal presence of God. Those who refused to make that decision during their life times will be there to be judged for their sin and condemned to an eternity separated from God. Which group will you be in? The choice is yours to make.