THE GOD AND CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE HAS INVITED US TO CALL ON HIM ANY TIME TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. HE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO LISTEN AND TALK TO US. (SEE JEREMIAH 33:3).

WHEN I LOOK AT THE UNIVERSE, THE FARTHEST KNOWN OBJECT IS A QUASAR SYSTEM THAT IS 14 BILLION LIGHT YEARS AWAY. LIGHT TRAVELS AT A RATE OF 186,300 MILES PER SECOND. THAT CALCULATES OUT TO 5.88 TRILLION MILES PER YEAR. THEREFORE, IT IS 5.88 TRILLION TIMES 14 BILLION MILES AWAY. THAT’S HOW FAR IT IS IN ONE DIRECTION AND PROBABLY THE SAME IN EVERY DIRECTION. SO, OUR KNOWN UNIVERSE IS 204.64 TRILLION BILLION MILES IN DIAMETER.

NEXT YEAR, A NEW MORE POWERFUL TELESCOPE IS GOING TO BE IN OPERATION. WHAT WILL THEY FIND? MORE. MY MIND CANNOT COMPREHEND THE ENORMOUS SIZE OF IT ALL. BUT, OUR GOD HAS CREATED IT ALL. AND HE IS FAR GREATER THAN ALL OF IT. THAT’S WHY IT IS SO INCREDIBLE TO ME THAT THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE TAKES AN INTEREST IN EACH ONE OF US INDIVIDUALLY. HE SAYS THE HAIRS OF OUR HEAD ARE NUMBERED. HE SAID HE KNEW US BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF TIME. WHY WOULD ANYONE NOT WANT TO GET TO KNOW HIM? WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO LISTEN TO HIM AND ALIGN OURSELVES WITH HIS PLAN FOR REDEMPTION? BECAUSE, WE HAVE AN ADVERSARY WHO IS TRYING TO KEEP US FROM GETTING TO KNOW HIM AND DISCOVERING THE GREAT JOY AND PEACE THAT COMES FROM A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

THE WHOLE PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES IS TO DEVELOP THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. HE HAS GIVEN US THE OPTION OF ACCEPTING OR REJECTING HIM. WE START ON THE JOURNEY WITH HIM WHEN WE ARE BORN AGAIN AS JESUS DESCRIBED IT IN JOHN CHAPTER 3. WE HAVE TO HAVE A SPRITUAL BIRTH IN ORDER TO COMMUNICATE WITH GOD AND UNDERSTAND THE GREAT MYSTERIES CONCERNING OUR LIVES. I CALL IT THE GREATEST ADVENTURE. WE ARE BORN INTO ETERNITY. THAT IS, WHEN WE ARE BORN, OUR SPIRIT WILL LIVE FOREVER. WE GET TO DECIDE WHERE WE WANT TO SPEND ETERNITY. DO WE WANT TO BE WITH GOD, OR DO WE WANT TO BE SEPARATED FROM HIM FOREVER? THE BENEFIT WE ENJOY TODAY IS THE PEACE OF MIND AND THE REWARD, GOD SAYS IS BEYOND OUR IMAGINATION. THERE WILL BE A DAY OF RECKONING.

MY OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE SURE ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY KNOW ABOUT GOD’S PLAN AND ARE ABLE TO MAKE THAT CHOICE FOR THEMSELVES. I DON’T WANT ANYONE TO BE ABLE TO SAY “YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME”. DOING NOTHING IS A CHOICE. I HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU IN HEAVEN. LOVE, BRAD GILTON 4/15/05