ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

How does knowing about heaven affect how I live today?

God's Response:
When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days.
Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom
Psalm 90:12

Our Takeaway:
Solomon is no dreary pessimist in Ecclesiastes 11:7-8. He encourages us to rejoice in every day but to remember that eternity is far longer than a person's life span. Psalm 90:12 teaches us to remember that life is short and therefore, we ought to make the most of the time we have so that we may use it to become wise. Those who are wise do not think only about the moment and its impact; they consider their actions in light of eternity.

Consider the impact your decisions will have ten years fro now and into eternity. Your earthly life may be short, but you will live with God forever.

God's Promise:
Our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can 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.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Big T's Thought To Ponder:
This world has nothing for me... Paul gives us strong instruction"Set you minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Colossians 3:2

As Christians we set are minds on different things than we once set them on. In our thinking we now realize that this isn't our final place or permanent residence - Heaven is our home!

We exchange the temporal for the eternal, the worthless for the valuable, the profane for the holy and the self for Christ. We no longer pursue darkness, only light. We no longer pursue our reputation, only His. We have been transformed and now stand in a radically different place.

This place is where Christ is! Did you realize that we are with Him? Paul tells us that "We have been raised with Him. We are seated, and He lives in the deepest place in our hearts, where we once stored worldly treasures and desires. It only stands to reason that we would be uncontrollably absorbed in our new dwelling place and in our new life. Not to be consumed with eternal realities would be ridiculously out of touch in light of our new spiritual nature. We would be daydreamers fantasizing about the worthless things we once held on to so tightly and neglecting the unimaginable riches and treasure that await us. It would be like a toad being transformed into a beautiful prince, but still choosing to live in a dirt filthy swamp - It makes no sense!
1 John 2:15-17

Unfortunately, there are so many of us that still think that our residence is here. We have a hard time internalizing a reality we can't see, though it is extremely real. We're tainted by the ways of the world, immersed in false philosophies. We hold on to and harbor the old thoughts of past. This is why Paul instructs the believers of yesterday, who like us, are captivated by false worldly perspectives. Set your minds where Jesus Christ is and where, in fact and truth, we are too!
John 14:23

I know that we have been taught in the world that disciplining our minds in a certain way is brainwashing, a temporary escape from reality. But for us, setting our minds on the things above is an escape into reality. It puts us practically where we are positionally - it renews our minds and puts us where God wants us - With Him!

Heaven is our home, set your minds there!