Today, The Holy Spirit put the words "look-up" on my heart, and here is the Bible verse I was reminded of to share with you.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-4
This is an excellent exhortation and word of encouragement from the Apostle Paul to God's people! He tells us to set our hearts and minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He knew if we did that, it would be much easier to not set our minds on earthly things that could drown us in the cesspools of fear, anxiety, worry, and addictions.
Let's take some time right now and think about Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings sitting at the right hand of God our Father in heaven. Do you see Him with your spiritual eyes? There He is, in all His splendor and glory, ruling and reigning in omnipotent power and might at the right hand of the Father.
- He sees all things!
- He knows all things!
- He hears every prayer and sees and feels every tear.
There He is, Jesus the Christ sitting in Heavenly glory: our High Priest sending comfort, hope, peace, provision, love, and power to all who humbly call on His name, and turn to Him for help.
Can you hear Him reminding us that:
- He loves us and is committed to us.
- He treasures our attempts to trust Him in childlike faith.
- He smiles over us as we receive His heavenly gifts.
- He delights in helping us turn away from fear and anxiety.
Do you hear Him in your heart, reminding us that He also loves those around us who don't know Him yet! Telling us to keep in mind there is a lot more at stake here than just our peace, hope, and comfort.
There are multitudes of people who don't know who to turn to in times like these! They don't know our God yet, and He will use times like these:
- To call people into His arms of love!
- To invite people into His refuge of eternal salvation found only in and through Jesus Christ.
That is the truth, and we can't miss the opportunity before us to be the Ambassadors of Jesus Christ. As we set our hearts and minds on Jesus, we see very clearly that He has called us to be His conduit of salvation and Heavenly hope to others. We understand how God wants to make us a reflection of who He is to others. We know we can never totally mirror who Jesus is because we are imperfect. Still, we commit to giving it our best attempts knowing that with God, all things are possible! Right!
A great missionary friend of mine once said to me, "We can't give away what we don't have." That statement has stuck with me for many years, reminding me that I can't give away heavenly gifts if I don't have them in my own heart. Right?
- It's hard to give hope to others if I am acting hopeless.
- It's hard to inspire faith in others if I am acting faithlessly.
- It's hard to share God's joy if I am living a joyless life.
- It's hard to display God's love if I am acting unloved.
Let me say if right now, you're feeling overwhelmed by the calamity of this pandemic or the turmoil on the streets. Perhaps the physical and financial effects on people are weighing heavy on your heart, look up! Resist setting your eyes on those things, instead set your heart and mind on Jesus and on heavenly things.
Please listen carefully to what I am saying! I'm not talking about denial, that would be foolish. These things are real! There are real heartaches and actual sickness and death happening in our communities. I'm talking about getting "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" so that we can help people spiritually and in other ways.
When we look up to God, we are much more prepared to reach out and help people in need. What I'm talking about is the importance of not losing our own hope. If we do that, it can sideline us from being any help to anyone else. These are the times that the disciples of Jesus Christ can do the most good, and be the most help. Right?
We are the ones that can help spread God's hope and faith to fight some of the side effects of this pandemic. Including fear, hopelessness, anxiety, and depression. These can do a lot of damage to the human heart, and we have the antidote for these things in Jesus Christ!
I also believe as we set our hearts and minds on things above, we need to be praying for health and healing for ourselves, our families, friends, and acquaintances. Even before this pandemic, I prayed for health and healing almost every day. I do it now more than ever before! I start my day after some time in God's word, praying for my family, friends, and anyone else the Holy Spirit puts on my heart. Don't be afraid to ask God for physical protection as well as spiritual. He is all-powerful and loves you with an everlasting love that never changes! Right?
So look up, see Jesus Christ as He is! The Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End, the Great Shepherd, and our Great High Priest. He is our refuge and our strength! He is the only wise God!
He is:
- Jehovah Rapha - God, our Healer.
- Jehovah Jireh - God, our Provider.
- Jehovah Shalom - God, our Peace.
- Jehovah Nissi - God, our Banner.
May God bless you today with His peace, hope, joy, protection, love, and presence as you walk through these times.
Brian