Durruck
Pirate!
Looking Beyond The ‘Here And Now’
By Rick Warren
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)
Rick Warren joins us for the next few days --
As we’ve been discussing, history is his story – that is, God’s story. From the book of Revelation we know that God’s global mission will be accomplished, and someday the Great Commission will be the Great Completion. In heaven an enormous crowd of people from “every race, tribe, nation, and language” will one day stand before Jesus Christ to worship him.
We can experience a little of what heaven will be like when we shift our thinking from the ‘here and now’ to the eternal. To make the most of your time on earth, you must maintain an eternal perspective. This will keep you from majoring on minor issues and help you distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s ultimate.
Paul said, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)
So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things. Jesus taught, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62, LB) And then Paul warned, “Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.” (1 Corinthians 7:31, Msg)
You’ve probably heard the expression -- “You can’t take it with you”—but the Bible says you can send it on ahead, by investing in people! The Bible teaches, “By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Timothy 6:19, LB)
So what does this mean?
· Throw off anything -- that you allow to stand in the way of your mission. What’s keeping you from being a world-class Christian? Whatever it is, let it go: “Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back.” (Hebrews 12:1, LB)
· Store up your treasures in heaven (Matt 6:20-21) – Jesus taught you should use the time, talent, and resources that God gives you to bring people to Christ. They will then be friends for eternity who will welcome you when you get to heaven!
· Send it on ahead – What can you do today to invest in people? The investment may be your time, your talent, or your treasure. God guarantees it will be the best investment you make – an eternal investment that will also help you to live “a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Timothy 6:19, LB)
The above content is provided in its entirety from purposedrivenlife.com and used with the full permission of the website. Additional archives of the Purpose Driven Life devotionals can be found in their archive.
By Rick Warren
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)
Rick Warren joins us for the next few days --
As we’ve been discussing, history is his story – that is, God’s story. From the book of Revelation we know that God’s global mission will be accomplished, and someday the Great Commission will be the Great Completion. In heaven an enormous crowd of people from “every race, tribe, nation, and language” will one day stand before Jesus Christ to worship him.
We can experience a little of what heaven will be like when we shift our thinking from the ‘here and now’ to the eternal. To make the most of your time on earth, you must maintain an eternal perspective. This will keep you from majoring on minor issues and help you distinguish between what’s urgent and what’s ultimate.
Paul said, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)
So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don’t trade your life for temporary things. Jesus taught, “Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62, LB) And then Paul warned, “Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.” (1 Corinthians 7:31, Msg)
You’ve probably heard the expression -- “You can’t take it with you”—but the Bible says you can send it on ahead, by investing in people! The Bible teaches, “By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Timothy 6:19, LB)
So what does this mean?
· Throw off anything -- that you allow to stand in the way of your mission. What’s keeping you from being a world-class Christian? Whatever it is, let it go: “Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back.” (Hebrews 12:1, LB)
· Store up your treasures in heaven (Matt 6:20-21) – Jesus taught you should use the time, talent, and resources that God gives you to bring people to Christ. They will then be friends for eternity who will welcome you when you get to heaven!
· Send it on ahead – What can you do today to invest in people? The investment may be your time, your talent, or your treasure. God guarantees it will be the best investment you make – an eternal investment that will also help you to live “a fruitful Christian life down here as well.” (1 Timothy 6:19, LB)
The above content is provided in its entirety from purposedrivenlife.com and used with the full permission of the website. Additional archives of the Purpose Driven Life devotionals can be found in their archive.