By Rev. C.J. Barry Kentner
When Jesus died upon the cross
‘Twas only half the story,
The rest will come the day that we
Rejoice with Him in Glory.
No eye has seen, nor ear has heard,
Nor can we even imagine
What God has planned for you and I
The day we get to Heaven.
That’s First Corinthians 2, verse 9…simply put in rhyme. But in his letters to the Christians of Corinth, who formed the Corinthian Church, St. Paul did his best to encourage them to a higher walk? A closer walk with their Saviour. In fact, he went into the old Hebrew text to make his point. Isaiah the prophet said in Chapter 64, verse 4, “Since the beginning of the world, men have not heard or perceived with the ear, neither has the eye seen, oh God beside thee, what he hath prepared for he that waiteth for Him.
What does this mean? God has a plan for our lives; Jeremiah 29, verse 7 quotes God as saying, “I know the thoughts I think towards you; thoughts of peace and not of evil; to give you an expected end.” Some versions read “I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope, and a future.” Either way, you read it, it is talking about our end… Heaven. Like all we read about in the New Testament, the Corinthians were first-generation Christians. They had grown up in homes, where, if there was any religious background or worship, it would have centered around one or more of the gods of their day. At this period in history, no one in Corinth had grown up in what you could call a “Christian Home” today. They were still learning. And we are still learning today.
Advertisements - Click the Speaker Icon for Audio
There is one exciting thing I love about being a Christian, and that is not knowing it all. We can never learn it all because we are told that God gives us fresh blessings every day! (Lamentations 3:23)
Every day we learn something about God. I love to ask people, what has God Done for You TODAY?
Barry was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1935 and schooled to Grade 10, but continued educational pursuits until age 65 when he graduated from Open Word Bible College. He started working for Spitzer and Mills advertising in 1952, then moved to the Broadcast arena where for 62 years he was News Director and Talk Show Host at several Canadian Radio Stations. He was one of 5 consultants who managed to lobby for Christian Radio in Canada, and in the last five years before retirement, he was News Director of Canadian Altar.Net News, a network of 25 Christian Radio Stations across Canada from Charlottetown PEI to Campbell River BC.
Barry Kentner is a semi-retired pastor.
