Seeing What is Eternal

 2 Corinth 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Scriptures say that life on earth is like a vapor. Vapor quickly dissipates into the air. We look at a pot of water that is boiling and see that as the water heats up, it evaporates. It turns into steam. We temporally see it move in the air, then it is gone. Like vapor, our life on earth is much the same, we are tempted to fix our eyes on earthly things. We work hard to build wealth and security. We desire things in this world that bring a sense of satisfaction. The temporal things of this life have their attractions. But for the person who has been born again, and experiences the eternal forgiveness of Christ, we set our affections on things above and not on things of this world. True contentment does not come from the earthly treasures of life, for they are short-lived and will fade away in the light of eternity. The saying that, “Seeing is believing” is flawed by the reality that there is more to life than what is seen with the naked eye. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I am also known.” (1 Corinth 13:12). Life on earth happens, and in this world we will have tribulations. But be of good cheer, for we live not for this world, but for a better world whose builder and maker is God.

The Things of this World

Job 1:21

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

How obvious it is when we attend a funeral that the person laid in the casket no longer is in possession of their worldly things. Without the life flowing blood of life, the flesh on the bones slowly decomposes and we return back to the earth. All of our striving for the things of this world are counted as insignificant compared to the eternal things of God. Society has conditioned our minds and hearts to desire the things of this world, that the things of this world will bring happiness and contentment. To a degree, they do, but they only last for a season. It is necessary that we maintain a spiritual mind set that our treasures are not of this world, but we have set our hearts on things above. We are born into this world without possessions , and we will leave this life empty handed. We are grateful for what God gives us and He desires that we be good stewards of it, but all things belong to Him, and like Job, we commit our lives into His hands, and praise Him regardless of the circumstances 

He Supples All Our Needs

 Philippians 4:19
 But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
What is it that you need? We are three dimensional beings, we have physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. We need food to keep our bodies functional and healthy, shelter to keep up safe from the elements of nature. Emotionally, we have needs of belonging and connecting with others. But our greatest need is our spiritual needs. We all were born with a void in our heart that desires to be one with our Creator. This need was provided to us by Christ. He is our all in all. He is all we need. Our physical and emotional needs can be found when we make Him first in our lives. Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (needs) shall be added unto you.” According to His will, for He knows what is best for us. He did not say that He would grant our every wish or desire. Set our affections on things above, and not on things below. The things below are corruptible, they are temporary and fade away. But the things above are eternal, lasting forever. Examine our needs in light of His will, submitting our lives daily to the one who created us.

Legacy to Remember

2 Tim 1:5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Let those that follow behind us find us faithful. The song writer must have been referring to Lois and Eunice. They left a godly example for Timothy to follow. They held on to their faith in spite of the circumstances they faced in their day. The faith passed down from generation to generation. A legacy of hope given to son and grandson. Such is the desire of all who follow Christ. As time moves on and the sun begins to set on the horizon of life, what is the legacy we leave behind? How will we be remembered? There are a lot of good things in life that have been accomplished, but it is our faith in Christ that will last for eternity. The things of this world will fade away, my hope is built on nothing less, that Jesus Christ and His righteousness. A legacy of love, hope and faith.

Temporal vs Eternal

2 Corinth 4:8,9-  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down. Not exactly a wonderful life. We daily face things in our lives that stress us out. The cares of life and the responsibilities we face each day alone can cause our blood pressure to rise. We worry about things we don’t understand and are unable to fix. Then there are those that are set against us for our faith and belief in adhering to the commands of God to live holy and righteous lives. We become discouraged of our inability to do the work that God has called us to do. Cast down and defeated in spirit. The temptation to “Throw in the towel” and quit trying knocks at our door. But, we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. The things that we face here on earth are temporal, they will fade away with time, but the things that really matter are those things we hold true in our heart. those things that are eternal. Our faith in God, the glory of the cross, and eternal life through the cross. For all things that happen are for our sake, that God’s grace will work through us to the glory of God.

Pilgrim on Earth

Heb 11:13 ….and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

This world is not my home, I’m only pass through, an old gospel song based on this scripture verse. We live not for this world, but for the world to come. How easy it is to get trapped by the things of this world. The things we buy that make this life more comfortable and pleasurable. We all like our creature comforts and find a measure of contentment in the things this world has to offer. But the things of this world will burn with the elements of earth. When life comes to an end at the time appointed, we will leave the things of this world behind us. All that will be left is our faith, and that which when did in the Name of Jesus. Things of eternal value, that will last for eternity. We are but pilgrims, just traveling through this world. Our journey, our destination is for another world. A city prepared for us by God. Let us hold loosely to the material things of this world. Let us set our eyes on the city above.

Wisdom From God

Proverbs: 8: 11, 17 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it….I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The wisdom of this world is not the wisdom of God. The wisdom of this world is tainted with selfish desires and want of pleasure. It seeks to preserve self at any cost and always has hidden motivations. Money is not the root of all evil, but loving money more than loving God and people often causes individuals to make bad choices. Those that seek riches are not wise. Aspiring to make money and obtain material things for legitimate pleasure is not folly, but neither is it prudent to seek it at the expense of others or at the detriment of our relationship to Christ. The wisdom we are to seek is the wisdom that comes from God. His wisdom is selfless, loving, and understanding. His wisdom looks at life with eternity in mind. Those that seek first His Kingdom will seek wisdom early in life and early each day. My prayer each morning as I start my day “ Lord, given me wisdom to do what is right and to make decisions that will make this world a better place to live, and keep my motivation on things that are eternal”- Amen.

Faded Gravestones

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

The fact is that in 100 years most people after they have passed on will not be remembered by anyone alive. All that is reminds is a faded gravestone or a name etched on some plaque or memorial stone. The things we did in life are buried in history and for the most part, most people are not interested in the life we lived. As Christians, we don’t live for this life. This world is not our home, we are only passing through. Our life is but a vapor, we live a mere 70-100 years, then we move on. Generations pass, and all that is left is our legacy and influence we made in the lives of other people. The choices we make in this life, for good or bad will leave an everlasting impression with those that walk in our footsteps. The print we leave will not be forgotten. It is marked by God. It has been graven in the palm of His Hand. He will not forgot the things that were done for Him and His kingdom. This world will pass away, but that which is done in His name will live on forever.

Living For What Matters

2 Corinth 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are pilgrims just passing through. This is not our home. This earth is a temporal dwelling place and this body is also temporal. The physical elements of this world will some day all melt away. The things that really matter in life are those things that we cannot see. There is life after death. We all will stand before God and give an account for the life we live. Did we strive only to gain the riches of this world? Did we take time to invest in things not of this world? Did we seek those things that are above? Where our heart is, so is our treasure. Life is but a viper, here for a moment and then gone. Others may remember your life, but they too will also will pass away. The things that matter in this life are seen in the priorities in the choices we make. Let us make choices that will last for eternity. Live your life to be a vessel unto holiness, a vessel broken and spilled out for God.

Unfeigned Faith

2 Tim 1:5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

The current political tread is all about “Fake News” News that is fabricated that may have some bases of truth, but is often twisted to serve someone’s point of view. Information that is often taken out of context or sometimes just plain made up. Fake faith is pretending to believe, but not willing to stay true to that belief. Saying you are a Christian, but not keeping His commandments or willing to follow in His Word. Fake faith is shelf serving, it wants others to perceive that they are righteous and upright. It desires to be seen of men and be praised. Unfeigned faith is true and genuine. It seeks to know God and desires to have a closer walk with Jesus. It believes that God is the maker of all things and controls the affairs of men. Unfeigned faith is sincerely believing that God is a rewarded of them that diligently seek Him. Unfeigned faith does not live for this world. The journey is important, but it is not what we live for. Unfeigned faith lives for things that are eternal where moths and rust cannot destroy. Many people have fake faith, but God has a remnant that is His true church, and their unfeigned faith will see them through.

Looking For a City

Heb. 11:10,16  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God…Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He hath prepared for them a City.”

This world is not my home, I’m only passing through. Looking for a City that is not made by human architect. Man has achieve remarkable skills and technology to make habitats that are beautiful and stunning, but they will all pass away with time. God, has built a City that will not fade away, a City where the light of day and night is Christ Himself. This City, John saw coming down from the heavenly skies. A City where the streets are made of gold. We need to look beyond this world and set our eyes on things that are eternal. God has prepared a place for those who choose to believe, those who are faithful to trust God. For God will be faithful to us if we keep our eyes on that City.

Life's Focus

Heb 10:34 “knowing in yourselves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance.”-

We live in a materialistic world. the gathering of stuff occupies our life daily. we buy new houses, new cars, and fill our house with stuff to make it look nice. This is the culture we live in. The danger is that this becomes our focus in life. Work to fill our “barns”. But we are also living in a day of uncertainty, and life has a way of turning things around. Losing a job, a fire burning our house down, illness in the family, and many other things that can happen. It times like these, we must have our focus on what really matters in life. Things that will endure for eternity. Storing up treasures in heaven. focus on relationship, focus on living for God, focus on sharing the love of Jesus. These are the things that really matter. 

Eternal Bliss

Rev. 22: 1-5, 12-17

O’ what a day that will be when my Savior I shall see. O’ what glory and wonder when we enter into the eternal bliss of God’s eternal abode. Christ the light of heaven is also the light of the world willing that all should be led out of darkness. The invitation is given to all who are willing to take of the water of life, keep His commandments, and adorn, themselves in the wedding garment of God’s purity. A bride prepared to receive her groom. Let us all heed the invitation, and come to the Savior entering in to His eternal bliss.

Source of Life - proceeding out of the throne of God
• Internal dwelling place of heaven
• Water- He that is thirsty…
• He will never thirst again- life’s eternal satisfaction
Side of the River – Side of the river…
• As it was in the Garden of Eden
• The tree of life-species of twelve manner of fruits
• Eternal substance
Servants of God – His servants shall serve Him
• The perfection of worship is service
• Perfect consecration- Imperfection removed
• Will it be possible to sin? No. There will no sin
Shadows and Darkness Gone – No night there
• The city of God will be void of darkness
• Christ will be the light of this city
• The earth will still have seasons
Start to Finish – I am Alpha and Omega
• He was there with God – Elohim- Let Us…
• He will be there when it is all finished- Plan of Salvation
Sin is Forbidden – For without …
• Anyone who lives a lie will not be able to enter in
• Only they that do His Commandment
• Those who have washed their robes
Star of the Morning – Jesus…The bright and morning star
• Jesus sent His angels- ambassadors for Christ
• Morning star to lead His people out of darkness
Spirit Says Come - Spirit and bride say, Come.
• The redeemed of the Lord say Come
• We are to be ambassadors for Christ
• He that wanting peace, relationship, forgiveness. Come
• God is not partial. Whosoever- surely means me, and you!