“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Eccles. 3:11 ESV)

Eternity: Forever and ever, infinite duration, time without end, endless, everlasting, perpetuity.

God of eternity from everlasting to everlasting

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2 ESV)

God inhabits eternity

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa. 57:15 ESV)

Suffering and punishment of the unrighteous lasts for eternity

“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (2 Thess. 1:9 ESV)

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:46 ESV)

God gives life to last for eternity

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24 ESV)

Therefore...

“May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (Psalm. 72:17 esv)

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.” (Psalm 41:13 ESV)

 “You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor." (Exo. 20:17 NLT)

Covet: yearn to possess or have something, to desire, crave, have one's heart set on, want, wish for, long for, hanker after/for, hunger after/for, thirst for, “even with all they have, they covet the wealth of others."

Coveting is the uncontrolled desire to acquire

To “desire” something isn’t a bad thing in itself because nothing can be accomplished unless you first desire to do it. You can desire good things such as to be more loving and to be more like Christ. It’s about having self control in what you desire. When a desire is uncontrolled, it becomes coveting. It’s such an important sin to avoid that it’s included in the Ten Commandments.

Coveting gives birth to sin

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15 ESV)

Coveting is evil and defiles a person

“And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23 ESV)

The love of money is coveting and evil

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Tim. 6:10 ESV)

Sexual immorality begins with coveting and is evil

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” (Eph. 5:3 ESV)

Coveting hinders prayers

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3 ESV)

The answer to coveting is godliness with contentment

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1 Tim. 6:6-8 ESV)

Therefore…

“I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:33-35 ESV)

 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt. 11:15 ESV)

Pay attention to what you hear

“And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.” (Mark 4:24 ESV)

Faith comes from hearing

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17 ESV)

Listen with faith

“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” (Gal. 3:2 ESV)

Hear the Word and hold it fast

“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15 ESV)

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.” (Heb. 3:7-8 ESV)

Take care how you hear

“Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8:18 ESV)

Hear the Word, accept it and bear much fruit

“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:20 ESV)

 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Heb. 13:8 KJV)

Same: The one and the very same, identical, not different, equal, changeless, consistent, constant, invariable, unchanging, unfailing, invariable, invariant, regular, steady.

God does not change

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:16 ESV)

There is no variation or shadow due to change

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17 ESV)

Now and for eternity

“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.” (Jude 1:25 NIV)

God’s Word will stand forever

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Num. 23:19 ESV)

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Is. 40:8 ESV)

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Phil. 3:9-10 NIV)

There is salvation in no other name under heaven

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 ESV)

Call on His Name to be saved

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10:13 ESV)

You are justified in His Name

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11 ESV)

Ask in the Name of Jesus

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13 ESV)

While you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:30 ESV)

Even demons are subject to you in His Name

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NIV)

The Mulligan

The “Mulligan”, a golf term originating in the 1920’s, is widely used today to describe any “do-over,” or second chance after initial failure. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to use Mulligans, or do-overs today, to correct serious mistakes? But, there are no Mulligans or do-overs for most mistakes. The Good news of the Gospel, however, is a different story. We get a complete do-over regarding sin! Jesus paid for it with His very own blood.

“Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (2 Peter 1:18-19 ESV)

According to the riches of His grace

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (Eph. 1:7 ESV)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9 ESV)

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:14 KJV)

I live in a farming community and many of them come from a long line of farmers who have worked the same  land for many generations, long before modern tractors. In fact, many still have horse-pulled plows stored in their barns and they still know how to use them. Once a year they have a plowing match and compete to see who can make the straightest, most perfect, plowed furrow. Among them is a farmer who has won the match consistently, year after year. When a reporter asked him what his secret was, he said, “The secret is to never take your eyes off the flag that is planted at the end of the row. If you do that, your row will always be perfectly straight, every time.” The flag, he was keeping his eye on, is a great illustration. It is like the “mark” that the apostle Paul was talking about in the passage at top, that he was pressing toward, “I press toward the mark for prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, our spiritual paths will be kept straight.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith

“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:12 NIV)

Look directly forward

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.” (Prov. 4:25 ESV)

At the things which are not seen

 “...while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.“ (2 Cor. 4:18 NASB)

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” (Phil. 3:13 ESV)

Have you ever looked back over your past and cringed when you remembered some negative decision you had made, or something you had said you wish you could take back? I have, and I would love to go back and fix them. But, the reality of it is, that there are no do-overs. You can, however, learn from your mistakes and work to avoid making the same ones in the future.

Godly grief produces repentance

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” (2 Cor. 7:10 ESV)

Forgiveness from the past and hope for the future

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isa. 43:18-19 ESV)

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:25 ESV)

“20 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:20-23 NIV)

The above passage contain the keys to having health to your whole body.

V20 – Pay attention to what God says

“And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” (Exo. 15:26 NIV)

V20 – Turn your ear to God’s Words

“But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?” (Jer. 23:18 NIV)

V21 – Do not let them out of your sight

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Josh. 2:8 ESV)

V21 – Keep them within your heart

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 ESV)

V22 – For they are life to those who find them

”And have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come.” (Heb. 6:5 ESV)

V22 -  For they are health to one’s whole body

“He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20 NIV)

V23 – Above all else, guard your heart

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (Psalm 129:9 ESV)

V23 – Everything you do flows from your heart

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8 ESV)