FOCUS ON THE ETERNAL
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
Good news—this life is temporary, but we are eternal. Every problem we face on earth is a temporary problem. But we are eternal beings made in the image of Almighty God and destined to live forever with Him in heaven.
When I grew up in church it seemed that we sang a lot about heaven and at least half of our sermons referred to heaven. I personally feel that because many of us have lived in difficult circumstances on earth we focused our attention on heaven. We sang songs like, “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see.” We also sang songs like, “Won’t it be glorious there, having no burdens to bear.”
It seemed my dad’s sermons seemed to include the concepts: heaven good, hell bad, eternity long, and the rapture could happen tonight. When I got saved at six it wasn’t because I was so in love with Jesus it was because I didn’t want to go to hell, and I wanted to go to heaven. I didn’t want to be left behind when the rapture occurred.
Maybe in our affluence and prosperity we have gotten so comfortable here on earth that we have forgotten “this world is not my home, I’m just passing through.” As followers of Christ our “treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.” We are living with an anticipation of eternity in heaven with a new body.
When you read the New Testament, it is obvious the early believers were living daily with anticipation of the second coming of Jesus and eternity in heaven. Once again, life for the early believers was tough. Perhaps that is why they kept heaven in the forefront of their thoughts.
I believe you can live through hell if you know it is only temporary. Everything here is temporary, we are eternal. We are made in the image of Almighty God. We are headed for eternity in heaven.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me live daily with an eternal perspective. Help me to keep eternity in mind.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”