Living with Eternity in Mind

"'But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." -Matthew 6:20  

Our lives are so short. The Bible says the extent of our lives is like a fleeting shadow. (Ps 144:4) Even still, every life has value. And God brought you and I here for a purpose. What are we doing now that has lasting value? Everything we do has eternal purpose, if we view it as worship to God. What are we doing to create meaning, in our lives, or in the lives of others? Are we living each day with an eternal purpose in mind?
 
There was a story of a man who worked countless hours at his job. He believed in God, but his main focus was on his earthly success. He ran a very large business. When asked what people might say about him at his death he replied, "I've always known someone might ask me that question, but I am still not prepared to answer."
 
When we're young, we generally have more time to live our lives. But, when we're older, we might reminisce on what we could've done differently in our earlier years. Because our time is short, we need to use it wisely, and take thought for our intentions.

Take an inventory of your time and how you spend it. Are there areas in your life you could improve on? What can you do now that will create long-lasting value for you and others? Even by being faithful in mundane tasks and doing them as unto God we are creating meaning and purpose. What other things can we do to keep focus on heavenly rewards? Could we set more time aside for prayer and worship? Could we ask to pray for someone when they're not feeling well, or spend more time with family? Whatever it is, we need to keep in mind the things that last, "where moth and rust do not decay."

What are you doing today that will impact your tomorrow? Are you living with eternity in mind?

No Fluff

"Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?" (1 Corinthians 5:6 NIV)
 
Have you ever gotten involved in something only to realize a lot of it was hype? Marketing, promotion, and a lot of people believing in something (even thought it may not be true) can make something into something it's not, resulting in unrealistic expectations and false truth. It's the stuff celebrity obsession and cults are made of.
Jesus understood this leaven, and told people to watch out for it, especially when it came to the Pharisees: Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." (Matthew 16:6 NKJV) 

Jesus was always speaking in parables, and sometimes this got the disciples confused. They thought Ge was really talking about bread! But then they finally understood He was talking about the "fluff" of the Pharisees. 

If you think about leaven, it's purpose is to puff up bread, making it up to ten times it's normal size. When Jesus was speaking of the Pharisees, he was speaking of the fact that they taught in such a way to make themselves look bigger, to make themselves look better and more important than they really were. They highlighted their own importance, which disgusted Jesus, and had the people take their eyes off of God and onto them. 

But Jesus was no fluff. He was the real thing. The unleavened bread the Israelites ate during Passover was a prophetic sign of the coming of Jesus, the true unleavened bread. 

Have you ever ran into "fluff" in your life? Pray that God would help you to recognize it, and stay away from it. God desires we stay humble, and close to the truth, which is Jesus.

Having a Biblical Worldview

"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." -Hebrews 4:12

According to research, the majority of Americans consider themselves Christians.  (Seventy-six to eighty percent, respectively.)  But, very few of us have a biblical worldview.
What is a biblical worldview?  By and large, it means that our beliefs align with that of the Bible.  Barna.org defines a biblical worldview as the following:

• Believe that absolute moral truth exists
• That the source of moral truth is the Bible
• That the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches
• That eternal spiritual salvation cannot be earned
• That Jesus lived a sinless life on earth
• That every person has a responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others
• That Satan is a living force, not just a symbol of evil
• And finally, that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful maker of the universe who still rules that creation today

According to Barna.org, just five percent of us have a biblical worldview. Why is it important to have a biblical worldview?  When we believe with all our heart the truth about Jesus, and we are aware of the enemy’s plan to steal our destiny, we are much better equipped to fulfill the call God has placed on our lives.  There are wonderful depths to God that we may never know, but believing these truths sets us up to live out a passionate faith, versus a luke-warm religion.

Why not seek God at a deeper level today?



Source:  http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/174-most-adults-feel-accepted-by-god-but-lack-a-biblical-worldview?q=biblical+worldview


 

Battleground of the Mind

“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” -Romans 8:6 

Has your mind ever gotten the best of you?

Every day, there is a great temptation to believe the worst about someone or something that has happened to us.  Even greater, is the temptation to believe the worst of God, that due to something that has happened or not happened; that He is not good, and He is not on our side.

It is so true that our minds are a battlefield.  The enemy uses this battlefield to gain ground - to try to use things and situations that have happened to us to turn us away from God.  He reminds us of our past, brings up regrets, and brings others to mind who we think have it better than we do, all to get us off track.  He tries to discourage us from the things that are important to us.  The enemy wants us to be nothing more than worms, thinking negative, discouraging thoughts, all the time!  He doesn’t want us to inherit the destiny that God has planned for us.  His greatest weapon is to knock us out of faith and trust, straight into doubt and discouragement.

Perhaps there are people who do have it better than us.  Perhaps what happened to us was indeed really bad! But when all we can think about is the fact that everyone has it better than us, we are letting our mind and the enemy get the better of us.  Therefore, it is essential that we thank God every day for the thing or things that are good in our lives, (even if it doesn't seem like a lot).  Even if it doesn't seem good to us, there is always someone who is going to be worse off than us. We have to train our minds to think faith-filled thoughts, instead of negative ones. We have to fill our minds with scripture. We need to put ourselves around people who can encourage us, and whom we can encourage too. 

Don’t let your mind get the better of you.  Pray that God will help you fill your mind with good, helpful, and encouraging thoughts - and that this would propel you into the very places that God has ordained for you.