By Paul Chappell
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
Colossians 3:1-4
Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation's
deserts. All that vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look
for. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they
look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was.
They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what
is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird
finds what it is looking for.
Our affections—the things that we love—determine the things
we focus on. The world is filled with trouble and heartbreak, yet the same
world is filled with blessings and benefits from God. Which one we choose to
focus on to a large measure determines whether we will be content and happy or
not. Believers who are joyful Christians are not somehow spared from the
hardships of life. But they are focused on the things of God.
This world is just temporary. The trials that we endure and
the hardships we experience do not force us into bitterness or depression. Paul
certainly endured much more than his share in the way of trouble, yet he viewed
it as being for his own benefit. Paul wrote that his afflictions created
"a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians
4:17). He could say that because his heart was settled in Heaven.
Today's Rooted Principle:
Check your focus today: are you looking at the things of
Heaven, or are you fixated on the things of Earth?
No comments:
Post a Comment