Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Focusing On The Eternal
I was reading in my daily devotional today and Kay Arthur shared this and it leapt from the pages of my book right into my heart <3 I would like to share it with you :)
When Jesus' desciples were distressed at the thought of being separated from their Lord, Jesus turned their gaze to the future. When you find yourself distressed and agitated in your soul, LOOK TO GOD'S FUTURE FOR YOU. Here we see the third step you can take in guarding your heart. In John 14:3-12 note three things to focus on as you look to God's future for you. Let me spell these out and then we'll cover them one by one.
You need to focus on the eternal, not the temporal (John 14:3-6). Next you need to look to the Father whom you have seen through the Person of His Son (John 14:7-11). Last, you need to look to your calling from the Lord (John 14:12).
Have you ever had to be separated from anyone whom you love dearly? What sustained you in his or her absence? Wasn't it the thought of seeing the person again? Of course. And you counted the days until once again you would see each other face-to-face. You lived in the expectation of your reunion.
This, Beloved, was the secret of the power of the early church. They had known the joy of His presence, and they had the promise of His return. They lived in the expectation of again seeing their Jesus face-to-face.
In his first epistle, the apostle John refers to this expectancy as the purifying hope (I John 3:2,3). When Jesus appeared, the trials and testings of their faith would be over. Faith would become substance. Once again they would behold with their own eyes His hands and His feet. When that day came, all that would matter is that they had been faithful. When their hearts were troubled, they would reharse His words in their minds. " 'And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.' Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me' " (John 14:3-6).
In Jesus, they had all they needed to handle any trial. Because nothing could separate them from Him, their hearts could be at rest. They were going to be with Him forever and ever. Jesus had said it. That settled it.
Even that dreaded enemy, death, could not trouble their hearts, for all separation was only temporal. He was the life. When their hearts were troubled, they needed to remember that visible things were temporal. The eternal was coming. On that their hearts could rest. And so can yours, Beloved.
Maybe today if your heart is troubled, like mine has been, you too will see that we can leave it in God's hands to rest. When our heart is troubled we become vulnerable to Satan's attacks, who wants nothing more than for us to doubt, to fear, to remove our security of faith. Let's choose today not to allow the accuser to torment us and to remind him that he lies. Remind him that God does not lie. When our hearts our troubled God wants us to put our trust completely in Him. Trust in Him and in what He says. Do not rest of what we feel, see, or hear. The key to inner peace is our faith in Christ..... taking God at His word and resting in that <3
When Jesus' desciples were distressed at the thought of being separated from their Lord, Jesus turned their gaze to the future. When you find yourself distressed and agitated in your soul, LOOK TO GOD'S FUTURE FOR YOU. Here we see the third step you can take in guarding your heart. In John 14:3-12 note three things to focus on as you look to God's future for you. Let me spell these out and then we'll cover them one by one.
You need to focus on the eternal, not the temporal (John 14:3-6). Next you need to look to the Father whom you have seen through the Person of His Son (John 14:7-11). Last, you need to look to your calling from the Lord (John 14:12).
Have you ever had to be separated from anyone whom you love dearly? What sustained you in his or her absence? Wasn't it the thought of seeing the person again? Of course. And you counted the days until once again you would see each other face-to-face. You lived in the expectation of your reunion.
This, Beloved, was the secret of the power of the early church. They had known the joy of His presence, and they had the promise of His return. They lived in the expectation of again seeing their Jesus face-to-face.
In his first epistle, the apostle John refers to this expectancy as the purifying hope (I John 3:2,3). When Jesus appeared, the trials and testings of their faith would be over. Faith would become substance. Once again they would behold with their own eyes His hands and His feet. When that day came, all that would matter is that they had been faithful. When their hearts were troubled, they would reharse His words in their minds. " 'And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.' Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me' " (John 14:3-6).
In Jesus, they had all they needed to handle any trial. Because nothing could separate them from Him, their hearts could be at rest. They were going to be with Him forever and ever. Jesus had said it. That settled it.
Even that dreaded enemy, death, could not trouble their hearts, for all separation was only temporal. He was the life. When their hearts were troubled, they needed to remember that visible things were temporal. The eternal was coming. On that their hearts could rest. And so can yours, Beloved.
Maybe today if your heart is troubled, like mine has been, you too will see that we can leave it in God's hands to rest. When our heart is troubled we become vulnerable to Satan's attacks, who wants nothing more than for us to doubt, to fear, to remove our security of faith. Let's choose today not to allow the accuser to torment us and to remind him that he lies. Remind him that God does not lie. When our hearts our troubled God wants us to put our trust completely in Him. Trust in Him and in what He says. Do not rest of what we feel, see, or hear. The key to inner peace is our faith in Christ..... taking God at His word and resting in that <3
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