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Your Life And What Comes After (24): See All The People

Rick TryonLeave a comment

What is the Church Age?

Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme that goes like this—‘Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the doors and see all the people’?

Is the Church Age about church buildings, or is it about people? In the Bible’s New Testament books after the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the ‘Church’ always refers to the people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Son of God.

Just as the Old Testament was instruction for the people who lived back in those times on how to walk in God’s purposes, and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John show us how Jesus lived according to God’s plan, the New Testament books after the Gospels now instruct us today on how to do the same.

Seek God First

Colossians 3:1–2
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Spend some time every morning praying and just enjoying the presence of God, speaking to Him and letting Him speak to you.

Add Value to the World Around You

Galatians 6:9-10
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Do meaningful work. Gain knowledge and learn valuable skills. Help and serve others around you in real ways that meet real needs.

Do Hard Things Without Fear

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Don’t ever be afraid of hard work or of doing hard things. God loves you and has already given you great strength and courage.

Fight Darkness with Light

Romans 13:12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Stand up, speak up, and show up. Dispel the darkness around you by shining forth God’s love and light.

The You Miracle

Always remember that you are a miracle, and that God’s plan includes you in His family and household. See yourself as God sees you: His beautiful child.

Plug into God’s purposes and plan, and your life will be an exciting adventure as a co-worker with the Creator of the universe!

Next, we’ll start our journey into understanding heaven, hell, and the end of the world.

Your Life And What Comes After (14): The You Miracle, Part One

Rick TryonLeave a comment

Prince Philip’s character in Netflix’s The Crown (Season 3, Episode 7, “Moondust”) said this about his disappointment in what they found when American astronauts landed on the moon in 1968:

“The loneliness and emptiness and anticlimax of going all that way to the moon and finding nothing but haunting desolation, ghostly silence, gloom. That is what faithlessness is. As opposed to finding wonder, ecstasy, the miracle of divine creation, God’s design and purpose.”

Are We Alone?

The universe contains trillions of galaxies, each with billions of stars—more than we could count in a thousand lifetimes. Worlds beyond worlds are scattered across an ocean of space so vast it makes Earth seem like a speck of dust.

You’d think someone else would be out there by now. But so far, the cosmos has been… quiet.

No alien signals. No visitors. No confirmed microbes on Mars or the moons of Jupiter. Just an overwhelming stillness.

So no, I don’t believe in little green men or flying saucers zipping around our skies. I believe we are the only beings God created in His image—and that He made the Earth and the universe for us to share eternal life with Him.

God’s Focus Is On Us. On You.

What if life on this planet is incredibly special and rare—not because the universe is empty, but because we are the characters in God’s story?

What if Earth is not one of many planets where living, thinking beings exist, but the only place in His vast creation where God chose to create His family?

A vast universe does not make us insignificant. It makes God’s focus on us even more astonishing.

And that makes you a very, very special and important person in the universe. More on that coming up.

Your Life And What Comes After (12): The Existence Miracle, Part Two

Rick TryonLeave a comment

So What?

What difference does it make in daily life that something exists instead of nothing? Isn’t that just a mind-bending, philosophical question without real meaning?

No.

Here’s why: If everything exists because God willed it, then your life is not an accident drifting through a meaningless universe. You are not just background noise in a cold, accidental existence. You exist because our Creator wanted a creation where relationship, meaning, and purpose were real.

Believing nothing matters is easy and leads to a “who cares?” take on life. Not good.

Believing God created you on purpose and for a purpose—that’s rebellion against darkness and a defiant shout that says, “I matter!”

The Source Matters

When Scripture says,

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.”
—Romans 11:36 (KJV)

it’s making a claim about reality itself. Everything starts with God, is held by God, and always points back to God—including you.

So when the question comes up—Why is there something instead of nothing?—the Bible’s answer is simple:

There is something because God chose creation over emptiness.

God is the reason everything exists, and when you look closely, you see Him everywhere. And that’s not nothing.

Your Life And What Comes After (7): Why Did God Create People?

Rick TryonLeave a comment

The Bible teaches that God created people on purpose and for a purpose: to know Him, reflect His image, take care of His creation, live in real relationship, and bring Him glory. Not because He needed us—but because He chose to share His life, love, and purposes with us.

Let’s break this down.

God Made Us for Relationship

Does God enjoy relationships—connection, conversation, presence—like we do? Absolutely. We’re wired that way because we’re made in His image.

God wants people to spend time with Him. That means talking to Him, listening to Him, and bringing Him into everyday life—not just showing up once in awhile, but walking with Him daily.

God Made Us to Reflect Him

Genesis 1:27
“So God created mankind in his own image.”

1 John 4:8
“God is love.” (And love requires people, not objects.)

Matthew 22:37–39
“Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbor as yourself…”

People were created to reflect who God is and what He’s like in the world. That reflection shows up through our ability to love, reason, create, choose, and care. When we live this out, we act as living mirrors of the Creator.

God Made Us Stewards of Creation

People weren’t created to exploit the world, but to rule responsibly under God’s authority.

Genesis 1:28
“Fill the earth and subdue it… rule over every living creature…”

We take care of God’s creation by protecting it, cultivating it, and adding value—starting with our homes and families, and also moving outward to our communities and the world.

God Made Us for His Glory

Our lives are meant to point beyond ourselves and toward the greatness of God. His glory isn’t about ego—it’s about truth being seen clearly.

Isaiah 43:7
“Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory.”

1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whether you eat or drink… do all to the glory of God.”

Genesis 1:27–28
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…”

The Before and the After

Here’s the hard truth: there’s a before and an after to God’s design for humanity.

The before shows Adam and Eve living in perfect harmony—with God, with each other, and with creation.

The after shows rebellion. Disobedience. Separation. Everything breaks—and that broken reality is the world we now live in.

So what happens to God’s original purpose? Is it abandoned? Different somehow?

That’s the next question we have to face—and that’s exactly where we’re headed next.

Your Life And What Comes After (6): Why God Created Everything

Rick TryonLeave a comment

Why did the man in our story build a house? Because he wanted to use his carpentry skills, show his ability at house-building, and—most importantly—create a place to share with his family, a place they could call their own.

He built a home where they could live in and enjoy life together. His children could arrange their own rooms and paint the walls their favorite colors. His wife could plant and care for a garden. They could put up a swing set or play volleyball with friends out in the big backyard.

They could add rooms and other spaces as needed, build a treehouse in the big oak tree out front, plant more trees and shrubs around the property, and watch them grow over time. They could add value to the home that was already built.

The man’s home was a workspace, a playground, and a wonderful place for him and his family to live together.

That is why the man built his house—to be a home.

And that is why God created the universe—to be a home for His family.

What Does God Want?

God desires a family to love—and to love Him in return. The world is the home God built for His family. We are the family with whom our Heavenly Father seeks to share His love, life, and goodness.

Ephesians 1:4–5 (KJV)
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will…

There it is again: “the good pleasure of his will.” God created the universe because it pleased Him to build a home for the family He desires.

And that family is us—you and me. We are the objects of the Creator’s endless, limitless love.

So What?

Now we know what God’s purpose in creating everything was—and still is. But what about us? What about you and me?

How do we fit into God’s grand plan and purposes? What is our purpose, and how is it connected to God’s purpose?

We will dig into the answers to those questions—so stay tuned.

Your Life And What Comes After (5): Building A House

Rick TryonLeave a comment

There was a man several years ago who moved with his family to an area of the country where he had never lived before. He was a total stranger in the new town.

The man was a skilled carpenter by trade, but no one in the entire county knew that—or anything else about him.

After living in a small rented cottage with his wife and children for a few months, the man set about building a new house in which to live.

He took his time and worked hard and carefully on the house because he wanted the final result to reflect his great skill and workmanship. He used quality woods, such as cedar and fir, because only the very best materials would do for his new home.

After a year or so, he finished building the house, with his family name in magnificent carved oak set above the front door as a finishing touch. It was beautiful. In fact, it was the most beautiful house in the entire area. People would stop as they passed by to look at it, and they were amazed at the man’s skill and wisdom in house-building.

Now everyone for miles around in that county knows who the man is, and his name has become famous there.

God Builds a House

So, why did God create the universe and everything in it, including you and me?

To answer that question, we should look at what God Himself says. One of the main ways God speaks to us is through the Bible, so let’s look there.

Psalm 19:1 (KJV)
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

God made the whole universe and everything in it to show who He is—to display His glory, power, wisdom, and love. Why? Because it pleased Him to do so.

And because He wanted to share His creation with someone. More on that to come.

The Whole World Is A Series Of Miracles…

Rick TryonLeave a comment

“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.”
― Hans Christian Andersen

Well said, Hans.

I’ve found the secret: train your mind to see even the most mundane things for what they are – miraculous works of God.

From the tiniest being in existence to the vast splendor of a starry night, it’s all meant to show the glory and wonder of our loving Creator.

Separate God From His Power?

p.s. tryonLeave a comment

“Make sure to seek God’s presence more than His power…”, someone recently said.

I’m a bit befuddled. How do I separate The Creator from His power? He who is almighty, whose power spoke light and the earth into being, who infused man with His spirit, who BY HIS POWER raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, ummmmm WHAT??

It seems silly and futile and a waste of time to entertain such notions that don’t appear in any scripture. Just logically thinking, the power of God in the love of God saved me from a life of darkness and misery. Without His power, what is He?

He would be just one of the many gods, indistinguishable from the gods of the Greeks and Romans. It would in fact be foolish to worship such a god.

When the Prophet Elijah said choose ye this day whom ye worship, and fire rained from heaven on his sacrifice and not on that of Baal, was not the presence of God power?

When Moses was on the mount, when the pillar of fire went before the children of Israel, when the sea parted, was not the presence of God power and did not the people worship?

I seek the presence of my God who is powerful, who raised Christ from the dead and whose Kingdom on earth is yet to come. Whose Son will return in Power and glory and righteousness. And I seek His son, who reflects the Father and who has the power to forgive my sins and heal me.

So when I seek God’s presence, I don’t worry about whether I’m splitting hairs between His presence and His character. How can I be in His presence and not be changed by His Power? Ultimately we seek the Father because He has the power to change us. His presence is perfect Love, who gave His only begotten son and raised him to be the first fruits of those that believe, and that, my friends, is power