GLEANINGS — June 2, A.D. 2013                                                                                                               "I know a man in Christ..." 
Starting with those words the apostle Paul related a little bit about his own visit to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body, he knew not. Like Paul, "I know a man in Christ." That man surely remained on terra firma, in the body, but in the providence of God he had three special experiences recently. They all occured within a five day period. Although they were not direct revelations from Heaven, they were...well, revealing.
The first experience was sharing in the memorial service of an acquaintance from boyhood, the brother of an old friend. At this event, the man encountered people he had known in the days before he was in Christ, seeing some for the first time in over forty years.
The second experience brought together many friends in Christ from various "eras" in the man's life; in fact it was an event which they all hoped would punctuate a time of transition and usher in new beginnings for a small part of His vast Kingdom.
The third experience was the wedding of an extended family member, where again this man encountered relatives whom, like him, had changed – yet not into complete strangers.
Through these three walks down three different memory lanes, three basic realities about our earthly lives of which God's word speaks became most evident to this man.
The first is the brevity of life. Psalm 39:5, "Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor." Psalm 144:4, "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow." James 4:14, "...you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." In the words of the old pop song by Steely Dan, "Are you reelin' in the years? Are you stowin' away the time?"
The second basic reality is that our lives profoundly influence other lives, and that often through small deeds or brief coversations. The woman whom our Lord commended for putting two mites into the treasury (Luke 21:1-4) comes to mind. The knowledge of her sacrificial deed, read about and preached upon by Christians innumerable times, has influenced and inspired millions of people for centuries. During her earthly life, could she have had even a tiny inkling that this would be the case? Who knows how God will use your smile...your golden deed...that cup of water you give in Jesus' name? (Mark 9:41)
The third basic reality is the faithfulness of God to all His creatures, and especially to His elect. Mathew 5:45, "...He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Lamentations 3:22ff, "Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Do you not, Christian believer, have every reason to treasure along with Jeremiah the prophet the next words from that short book the Spirit inspired him to write? 
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"