Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Setting Our Minds - Eternal Choices
Sisters, we have had a good question from one of our bloggers and from some others regarding what “setting our minds on things above – on heaven” actually means. The phrase makes it sound as if heaven is all we are to be thinking about all day, doesn’t it? So, what does it really imply? Have you ever heard the abbreviation A.L.I.V.E. - always live in view of eternity? I believe this tells us what a mind set on heaven looks like. It is a life that is daily motivated by thoughts of two places: #1 – life on this earth… it is short – the Bible refers to it as a vapor; #2 – life in heaven…it is forever…lived with our God and our Redeemer forever in an incredible place free from sin and its affects.
Each day we have the choice: Will I make choices today that will be investments in eternity, or will I choose things that will instead be burned up (I Corinthians 3:10-15)? Will I choose attitudes, responses, things, activities, thoughts, words, ambitions that will have eternal benefit or will I choose those things that reflect a temporary/earthly mindset (and sometimes a self-absorbed/self-gratifying mindset!)? Matthew 6:20 says, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
Randy Alcorn put it this way: “What will last for eternity? Not your car, house, degrees, trophies, or business. What will last forever is every service to the needy…every investment in missions, every prayer for the needy… every moment spent caring for precious children – including rocking them to sleep and changing their diapers. The Bible says we’ll reap in eternity what we’ve planted in this life.”
Let’s make Randy’s list even more personal…How about every word of encouragement to our husbands, every meal prepared, every shirt laundered and every toilet scrubbed out of love for our families, and out of love and honor to the Lord? How about every meal taken to your widowed neighbor, every card sent to that hurting person, every act of patience with that difficult person, every offense overlooked for the sake of love, every phone call made to lift the spirits of the lonesome, every minute spent in the Word learning more about our gracious Lord. The list of things that have eternal value is in itself endless because those things that we do for the good of others and for God’s glory is “laying up treasures in heaven.”
So change that diaper with love, wash those dishes with a smile, put the groceries away with thanksgiving, give medical care to that elderly patient with gentleness, show you care to even the unruly student, pray for that person you find hard to love…Make the choice by the power of the Holy Spirit to set your mind on things above, and store up for yourself treasures in heaven…as Randy says, “it will pay off in eternity and bring joy and perspective now.”
Love .... Becky
Friday, September 24, 2010
There's No Place Like Home
Words of encouragement from Sister Hope (Alias Becky Lucas) ...
Remember The Wizard of Oz – the ruby slippers, those ugly flying monkeys, and of course, Dorothy’s words: “There’s no place like home!” Oz was a special place, but what Dorothy really longed for was Kansas… home. That phrase was going through my mind one day when I was journaling about Heaven. Before your mind questions the stability of mine, consider this:
The author of Hebrews 11 tells the story of many who could have said that same phrase. These saints confessed that the place they were in was not Home. Their lives revealed that they were seeking their Homeland. They did not have a yellow brick road to follow, but they faithfully aimed for their destination.
Life here can be hard, but it can also be pretty special. Take a walk down a country road with your family at sunset and you will be reminded of the blessings we have on this earth. But as lovely as it can be here, we can’t allow our eyes to be fixated on this life and the “comfyness” we feel here. I love how C.S. Lewis puts it: “Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.”
The saints of Hebrews 11 didn’t invest much in their present life because they knew God had prepared for them something far better. They understood what Paul said about the glories of their true Home: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9). They didn’t want to stay in “Oz.”
For us it is much easier to say “There’s no place like home” than to live it. Dorothy actually had it pretty easy, didn’t she? Just say it and click those ruby slippers! How will you respond differently today to your husband? children? co-workers? because you are on the road Home? Do the daily choices you make reflect a longing for your true Home or a heart bound to “Oz”? THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Setting Your Minds & Hearts
Let's start at the beginning with our memory verses ... Colossians 3:1 & 2. Can you recite it by memory yet? Give it a try!
"Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (vs 1). This is a direct command to set our hearts on Heaven and the things of God. And to make sure we don't miss Paul says it in like manner in the next verse, "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things."
The Greek word translated "set your hearts on " is zeteo, which "denotes man's search or quest." It is a diligent, single-minded investigation. This verb zeteo is in the present tense, suggesting it is an ongoing process. Keep seeking heaven and the things above. The command and the repeating of it suggests not only it's importance but that it will not come automatically. Our minds are so much consumed by the things of this earth - both good and bad - that we are not used to heavenly thinking. So we must work at it! What are you doing daily to work at "setting your heart and mind on the things above?