As the Great American Eclipse of 2017 hung over America, information about the upcoming event filled the media.
1. Every person in America could stand in the path of totality. It was a matter of choice. No one had to miss out.
2. The eclipse would pass by at phenomenal speed. The longest viewing opportunity for anyone was two minutes and forty seconds.
3. This was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. Most people would not be fortunate enough to view another total solar eclipse during their lifetime.
4. We would see invisible things during the totality, including the stars and the sun’s corona (the sun’s atmosphere). The sun would shine like a diamond ring, an effect known as Bailey’s Beads.
5. If we stood just one mile outside the path of totality, we might feel we’d seen the real thing, but there would be no comparison. Only in the direct shadow would the true majesty of the total eclipse become evident.
There’s one other thing experts told us. For those who viewed the event from inside the path of totality, our consciousness would be changed forever. When the sun winked out, and the flash of the corona winged its way across the darkened sky, we would gasp in awe and fall to our knees.
How like our encounter with Christ this sounds! Every person can come to Christ, if they choose. We must be aware, however, that our opportunity to make a difference for Christ is often here and gone, a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Just like with an eclipse, when we stand totally shadowed by the love of Christ, we suddenly see God in all his majesty. Just attending church and reading our Bible isn’t enough. We must be enveloped by him.
Ephesians 3:14-15 gives us our response to God’s majesty:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.”
There was a three-hour window to enjoy the 2017 eclipse. Yet, most of it was flash and bang. Only during the crucial moment when the moon totally committed to the sun could we enjoy the event with unaided eyes and unfiltered emotions.
Finding salvation is a moment to eclipse all others. If we stand totally in the shadow of Christ’s love, we will remember it for the rest of our lives.
Our commitment to Christ must be complete. Even a foot outside his will robs us of the beauty he desires to gift unto us.
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Code: FGO.H.20.17.vp.esv