Tag: Heavenly minded

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Look Up

Daily Reading

Judges 3-5

Daily Thought

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Again. That’s putting it mildly. The verse is Judges 3:12, but it is also Judges 2:11; 3:7; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; and 13:1. What is astonishing is they do all this bad behavior while God is looking down on them.

This guy walking along the sidewalk near the middle school in our neighborhood had finished a can of coke. I watched him glance to his left, then over his shoulder, and seeing the coast was clear, toss the can into the hedge on his right. Let’s think through his thought process. He is walking, looking forward and no one is there. Left, no one; behind, no one. He does not have to look down since that is the ground, and the hedge is on his right. No one is looking, so it is safe to litter. Forward, behind, left, right, and down, he had every direction covered. Except up. He did not look up. He did not think about God.

God was watching the Israelites, but they were not thinking about God. The book of Judges begins with the generation after the generation of Joshua. “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord” (Joshua 2:10). Little wonder “the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” They were not looking up.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ~Colossians 3:1-2

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, by Your grace I am saved. Not by anything I did. I add nothing. Your Son, Jesus Christ, paid the price for my sins by His death on the cross. I was dead in my sins and you raised me up. You gave me life, a life overflowing.

I am Your workmanship, made to do good works. Father, You lead and I follow and You get the glory and I have a life that is full and satisfying and good. On the night before Jesus died, He ate bread with His disciples and drank from the cup, and said, from now on whenever I do this, remember He gave His life for me. God, may I always remember, never forget, always look up.

Amen

Daily Question

What can you do to keep God present in your thoughts all day?

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Heavenly Minded

Daily Reading

Ecclesiastes 9-12

Daily Thought

The preacher of Ecclesiastes wishes to say that “wisdom is better than might” (Ecclesiastes 9:16), and it is, but truth is most powerful of all, and all must bow to it. Of a life lived under the sun, without reference to God, the truth asserts itself, and the preacher ends with what he began, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8). If this seems dismal, blame truth–“the Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth” (Ecclesiastes 12:10). There is no turning from truth; it cannot be avoided.

Life under the sun is all we see, but it is not all there is, and thus the preacher’s purpose in his somber words is to lift the eyes of our youth to see what cannot be seen, to what is above and beyond the sun, to our Creator. Some are criticized as being so heavenly minded they are no earthly good, but the truth is we tend to be so earthly minded we are no heavenly good. This is a message best learned young, to dash our hopes early of ever finding meaning in the pleasures and pursuits of this life; “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Do not live for the moment, rather live beyond the sun, each moment for eternity.

Daily Prayer

God of eternity, unseen but more real than all I can put my hands on in this world, strengthen my faith. May I live in wisdom and truth. May all my days reflect all of Yours. 

My life is full of hope because of You. The more I live, the more I know what is truly important, and it is what I have but who I know. It is people and it is You. To love You and to love others, may that consume me, because that is forever. Everything is is chasing after the wind.

Amen

Daily Question

What do you do now that has value for all eternity?

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Under the Sun

Daily Reading

Ecclesiastes 5-8

Daily Thought

Ecclesiastes is the writing of a wise man looking at life “under the sun,” life short of eternity, and he alternates between despair, and making the best of it: “All are from the dust, and to dust all return” (Ecclesiastes 3:20), so “there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil-this is God’s gift to man” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).

On the side of making the best of it, he occasionally offers good advice, such as, don’t go it alone; “two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). After the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2000 NBA championship, retired UCLA coach John Wooden was asked how many championships he thought Kobe Bryant could win. “None,” said Wooden. “Kobe doesn’t win championships. The Lakers win championships.” And so it is with wisdom, “though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him–a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). We need others, we need teammates, we need friends, says the wise man. 

That being said, he adds, everyone dies. The wise man of Ecclesiastes rains on parades; do not invite him to the party, but do not ignore his words. His aim is to lift our heads above the clouds. As long as we live under the sun, life is ultimately futile, and he takes pains to point that out. Then he points upward, “for God is in heaven and you are on earth” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). Life on earth is brief and not fair; God is good and forever. He sees the way of the world, “a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12), so he reaches for heaven, and you should, too.

Daily Prayer

Father God, may I be heavenly-minded, my head above the clouds. May I think Your thoughts and see life through Your eyes because that is the only I will be earthly-good. You created us for relationship, with each other and with You. Teach me to value and love people the way You do, to lift their heads up and point them to Your glory and Your goodness.

May I live each day with eternity in mind. My security, God, is in You; keep me from relying on things that simply do not last. Each day is a gift, I will open it and enjoy it and let everyone know Who gave it to me.

Amen

Daily Question

Who is the wisest person you know and what was their best advice?

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Heavenly Minded

Daily Reading

Ecclesiastes 9-12

Daily Thought

The preacher of Ecclesiastes wishes to say that “wisdom is better than might” (Ecclesiastes 9:16), and it is, but truth is most powerful of all, and all must bow to it. Of a life lived under the sun, without reference to God, the truth asserts itself, and the preacher ends with what he began, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8). If this seems dismal, blame truth–“the Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth” (Ecclesiastes 12:10). There is no turning from truth; it cannot be avoided.

Life under the sun is all we see, but it is not all there is, and thus the preacher’s purpose in his somber words is to lift the eyes of our youth to see what cannot be seen, to what is above and beyond the sun, to our Creator. Some are criticized as being so heavenly minded they are no earthly good, but the truth is we tend to be so earthly minded we are no heavenly good. This is a message best learned young, to dash our hopes early of ever finding meaning in the pleasures and pursuits of this life; “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Do not live for the moment, rather live beyond the sun, each moment for eternity.

Daily Prayer

God of eternity, unseen but more real than all I can put my hands on in this world, strengthen my faith. May I live in wisdom and truth. May all my days reflect all of Yours. 

My life is full of hope because of You. The more I live, the more I know what is truly important, and it is what I have but who I know. It is people and it is You. To love You and to love others, may that consume me, because that is forever. Everything is is chasing after the wind.

Amen

Posted on

Look Up

Daily Reading

Judges 3-5

Daily Thought

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Again. That’s putting it mildly. The verse is Judges 3:12, but it is also Judges 2:11; 3:7; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; and 13:1. What is astonishing is they do all this bad behavior while God is looking down on them.

This guy walking along the sidewalk near the middle school in our neighborhood had finished a can of coke. I watched him glance to his left, then over his shoulder, and seeing the coast was clear, toss the can into the hedge on his right. Let’s think through his thought process. He is walking, looking forward and no one is there. Left, no one; behind, no one. He does not have to look down since that is the ground, and the hedge is on his right. No one is looking, so it is safe to litter. Forward, behind, left, right, and down, he had every direction covered. Except up. He did not look up. He did not think about God.

God was watching the Israelites, but they were not thinking about God. The book of Judges begins with the generation after the generation of Joshua. “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord” (Joshua 2:10). Little wonder “the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” They were not looking up.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, by Your grace I am saved. Not by anything I did. I add nothing. Your Son, Jesus Christ, paid the price for my sins by His death on the cross. I was dead in my sins and you raised me up. You gave me life, a life overflowing.

I am Your workmanship, made to do good works. Father, You lead and I follow and You get the glory and I have a life that is full and satisfying and good. On the night before Jesus died, He ate bread with His disciples and drank from the cup, and said, from now on whenever I do this, remember He gave His life for me. God, may I always remember, never forget, always look up.

Amen