God does
not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to enjoy eternity with Him (John
3:16). Everyone has faith in something, even if it is faith in oneself.
However, faith in Christ is the only faith that saves us. It takes no effort or
good works on our part. We simply allow the grace of God to work in our heart (Ephesians
2:8). He transforms our life (2 Corinthians 5:17). We
think, act and believe differently than prior to our salvation (Ephesians
4:24; Colossians 3:10). God now claims us as His children, His sons and
His saints (John 1:12; Romans 8:16,17,27; I John 3:1,2;
Galatians 3:16; Ephesians 1:18, 4:12).
Christ is
no longer just part of our life, He is our life (Colossians
3:4). Jesus is now the center of our focus, our main emphasis in every
day. We are no longer lowly caterpillars crawling around and grubbing for
sustenance. God metamorphosed us into butterflies. We are dead to sin and
hidden with Jesus in God (Colossians 3:3). We dwell in the Heavenly
realm of life now. We no longer follow the evil desires of our flesh. Instead, we
entertain an eternal perspective on life and we live in holiness (Romans
12:1; Colossians 1:22).
We never
know from one moment to the next what the will of God is for our life. We make
decisions and sometimes miss the mark of His will for us. That is why it is
advisable not to make plans unless we feel sure that God is in them. We can set
tentative goals, but then walk in His will moment by moment (James
4:13-14). We live a life of worship through our thoughts, words and
actions, regardless of our circumstances. We are part of God’s family, accepted
as His beloved kings and priests, the Body of Christ (Romans
8:1, 12:15, 15:7; Ephesians 1:6; I Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 1:6; I Corinthians
12:13).
We live each moment of life to the fullest, focusing on the positive aspects and turning the negative, even tragic illness and catastrophes, over to God. We may be inconvenienced in our flesh, but our Spirit is still soaring with the eagles regardless of our circumstances (Isaiah 40:31). God has a purpose for everything we experience in life. Therefore, we can compare our present trouble to our eternal blessings in them. Then, we gain His energy and consolation to live through them.
If we do
not adopt an eternal perspective on life, our troubles and trials will
overwhelm us. We will lose hope and regret the past and fear the future. With
an eternal outlook, we realize that our negative circumstances are simply
momentary issues (2 Corinthians 4:17). We have concrete faith, which
gives us hope for tomorrow (Hebrews 11:1). We remove the roadblocks in our
life that hamper our walk with God. As we grow in our knowledge of God and His
ways, we develop a more intimate relationship with Him.
Prayer:
Father
God, we devote each moment of our life to You, to fulfill Your will for us and
to accomplish Your goals and desires in and through us. We hunger and thirst
after You (Matthew 5:6). You satisfy our longings and You
fill our hungry soul (Psalm 10:9). We want nothing more than to
give You joy and to feel Your delight in us (Psalm 147:11). We
delight our self in You as You put Your desires within our heart (Psalm
37:4). We rejoice in You always and praise Your Holy Name forever and ever (Philippians
4:4).
Thought
for the Day:
Without Christ, our life is merely short and
irrelevant in the overall scheme of eternity.
