Why do we focus so often on things of the world?
The reason that so many Christians have lost hope is because we have lost sight of the end goal- heaven. Our reward. Our only hope.
For the past few weeks my mind has been plagued with worldy thoughts. What if we can't pay our rent? What will I do for a job? How will we survive without money? But last night God showed me heaven. Suddenly my landlord didn't seem so big. My worries started to fade away as I realised that this world is nothing but a flicker. What we see today, will be gone tomorrow.
Everything that I have is not my own, it is on loan. My house is not my own. My money is not my own. My marriage is not my own. My future is not my own. Everything that I have is his.
My desires must become his desires. My wants must become his wants. My life must become his life.
My success is not measured by what house I own, what career I have, what car I drive, what clothes I wear, how thin I look.
My purpose is simply this- To glorify God.
I didn't go to uni so that I'd become some career driven fool whose purpose is to earn as much money to buy all the things that the world tells me are important. My purpose in going to uni was this- to glorify God. To have the opportunity to proclaim the gospel.
The purpose of everything I have done and everything I will do is this- to glorify God.
My life is not my own.
I must be willing to lose it all for the sake of the Kingdom.
The call from God is the call to die- physically or daily to self, in order that we might live.
Our thoughts for this world must die. Our worldy desires and wants must die. They must be crucified with Christ if we are to truly live.
If I lose everything in this world I haven't actually lost anything. Even if I lose my very life, I still win.
"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2Cor 4v18
My biggest fear in this life is being an adult. Things are so much more complicated, difficult, wearisome, troubling, tiring...the list is endless. When we get older are passion starts to fade, life diminishes this, along with our innocence and excitement. So I cling to this hope that in heaven all things are made new.
"Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say "Do it again!", and the grown up does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-ups are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we are." (G.K. Chesterton)
Proverbs 8v30 describes Jesus as childlike, filled with fresh delight daily, always laughing in the presence of the Father, and playing in every corner of his world. Heaven does not get boring, we don't grow tearsome of it like we do with this world. Every day is a delight. Every day we are like children again. Porterbrook puts it like this:
"Our life and joy will be gigantic so that each moment will bring fresh ecstasy...We will cry to God, "Again, again, do it again!" Now we are old and tired and cynical. But then we will be young again, forever young, forever delighting in God."
Lets look forward to this hope.
love this bip..i love your heart
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