DYING TO OURSELVES – Part 2

“We don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at Him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges!”  (2 Corinthians 5:16-17 The Message)

[Jesus] turns the world’s views inside out and upside down. He simply cuts against the grain of how we naturally think, and we realize that to follow Jesus, we need to retrain our minds to focus through spectacles we’ve never worn before. The key to thinking His way is an utter surrender, a giving up of the old ways, which never would have worked anyway. 

-- Kyle Idleman in “The End of Me: Where Real Life in the Upside-Down Ways of Jesus Begins” 

#5456

A DEADLY MYTH DEFUSED - Part 2

“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.” (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV)

Only by setting our sights on Heaven can we find our way through the confusing maze of this world. Without fixing our gaze on God’s throne above, we are certain to lose our way and self-destruct.

Sailors who navigate the open sea know there is only one sure way to chart their course and set their direction. Under the dark cloak of night, navigators know that there is only one unchanging reference point by which they may establish their way. That fixed point? The North Star. In the uncertainty of night, mariners know that the North Star above is the only reliable compass by which they may navigate the open seas.

That’s exactly what God calls us to do. As we sail the uncharted seas of life under the veil of night, we must establish our direction and set our course by the unchanging heavens above. If we fail to fix our eyes on Heaven, we will become lost, disoriented, and ultimately, shipwreck our souls.

Many lives have been lost in the vast, open sea of this world and have been unexpectedly sunk by unseen, jagged reefs lurking beneath the surface. All because people failed to navigate their lives by the bright light of Heaven above.

Don’t let this happen to you. Set your mind on things above, not on the things of this earth. Establish your direction and set your course by Heaven.  

-- Adapted from Steven J. Lawson in “Heaven Help Us!: Truths About Eternity That Will Help You Live Today”

#5359

A DEADLY MYTH DEFUSED - Part 1

I want to destroy a deadly myth. One so subtle that it hardly seems dangerous. But one so lethal it would delude our faith and damage our walk with Christ. What is that deadly myth? “He’s so heavenly minded, he’s no earthly good.” Don’t you believe it.

Just the opposite is true. We must be heavenly minded if we are to be any earthly good. Heaven must impact our lives today. “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.” (Colossians 3:1-2 NIV)

We must reorient our thinking and refocus our hearts toward Heaven. Ever decision we make must be in the light of eternity. Every investment of our lives must be made from the perspective of Heaven. In the midst of hectic schedules and fast-paced lifestyles, we must choose to preoccupy ourselves with the unseen world above where Christ is enthroned as Lord over all.

Let us live for the world to come, not for this present age. Let us live for what is timeless, not temporal. Let us live for the spiritual, not the earthly. Let us live for the invisible, not the visible.

There is a restless longing in every person’s heart. God has placed eternity within us (Ecclesiastes 3:11) -- a strong desire for the world to come. Whether we realize it or not, our souls long for a place called Heaven. This yearning for our home above calls us to live radically different from the ways of the world. 

-- Adapted from Steven J. Lawson in “Heaven Help Us!: Truths About Eternity That Will Help You Live Today”

#5358

A LIFETIME OF TRAINING

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2a NIV)

Christian discipleship is a lifetime of training in how to pay attention to the right things, to notice God's work in our lives and in the world.  Through long practice we unfix our gaze from distractions and fears in order to attend to that which God attends. 

-- Tish Warren in “Prayer in the Night”

#5188

FOCUSED ON JESUS

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”  (Hebrews 12:1b-2a NIV)

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little daughter, Vanessa.  Finally, he tore a sheet out of his magazine on which was printed the map of the world.  Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Vanessa, and said, "Go into the other room and see if you can put this together."

After a few minutes, Vanessa returned and handed him the map correctly fitted together.  The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.

"Oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then the world came together." 

-- Unknown

#4842

IN THE STILLNESS

https://davidt-wilkinson.pixels.com/featured/sister-bay-sunset-psalm-46-david-t-wilkinson.html

“Be still and know that I am God.”  (Psalm 46:10a)

The ancient desert dwellers of our early Christian communities tell us that the surest way into the heart of God is to be still. In being still we learn to be attentive to the vast and hidden stillness that permeates all things.

So I invite you to begin by becoming attentive to that stillness as well. Seek it first in your own home. Go at night into the darkened room of your sleeping child and breathe with the moist, quick risings of a child's breath. Rise in the thin light of a new day. Do not turn on the lamp or the television or the coffee maker, but stand by an east window and let the dawn's fingers creep up over the fingers of your own hand.

Listen next for stillness as you venture out of doors. Hear it in the splintering of fall leaves as you cross a grassy knoll between paths in the park. Find it in the first cape of snow draped over the eaves of your house.

Turn finally to your own heart. The same stillness is there as well. At the core, buried beneath the turbulence of emotions rubbed raw by life's labor, is the same stillness discovered in the slow-moving sap of an autumn tree. In that primordial stillness beats the heart of God.

There is correspondence between our hearts and God's. They have imprinted on them the same unimaginable hope, sealed with a promise. The hope is for fullness, for completion, for being one with each other. What that will look like is hidden from us. The end and fullness of all things is known only to God. But we have glimpses of it.

-- Wendy M. Wright in “The Vigil: Keeping Watch in the Season of Christ's Coming” (Nashville, Tenn.: Upper Room Books, 1992)


#4654

FACING YOUR GIANTS

David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine [giant].” Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." (1 Samuel 17:37)

Giants. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone. Focus first, and most, on God. The times David did, giants fell. The days he didn't, David did…

Focus on giants -- you stumble. Focus on God -- your giants tumble.

Lift your eyes. Giant-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you. 

-- Max Lucado in “Facing Your Giants”


#4462

AN AUDIENCE OF ONE

According to Jesus, what other people think of me matters very little.  What God thinks, matters far more.  Pray in a closed room, Jesus said, where no one but your Father can see you, rather than in a public place where you might get credit for being spiritual.  In other words, live for God and not other people.  I keep clamoring for attention and achievement.  Jesus invites me to let go of that competitive struggle, to trust that God’s opinion of me is the only one that counts, ultimately.

"There are but two principles of moral life in the universe," said the mystic Madam Guyon, "one which makes ourselves, or the most limited private good, the center; the other, which makes God, who may be called the universal good, the center."  I could summarize my entire spiritual pilgrimage as an effort to move the operating center from myself to God.

I ask myself how my life would differ if I truly played to an audience of One, if I continually asked not "What do I want to do?" or "What would bring me approval from others?" but "What would God have me do?"  Certainly my sense of ego and rivalry would fade because I would no longer need to worry about proving myself to other people.  I could concentrate instead on pleasing God, by living in such a way that would attract people to Jesus’ style of life.

-- Philip Yancey in Rumors of Another World

#3977

SETTING YOUR MIND

John Milton wrote in his epic poem Paradise Lost, “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”

Setting your mind is like setting a thermostat.  It is creating a target for the climate.  Once you set a thermostat, the heating and air-conditioning will have to adjust in relation to the weather.  It is a constant process, but the goal is for the system to create a life-giving climate.  So too it is with our minds.  Many people try to tell themselves to stop thinking negative thoughts -- which immediately brings to mind the very thoughts they are supposed to stop thinking.

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2)

“Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Romans 8:5)

-- John Ortberg in The Me I Want To Be

#3926

FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS

"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith."  (Hebrews 12:1b-2a NIV)

A father wanted to give his daughter something to do and there was a picture of the world on a sheet of paper. He tore it into smaller pieces and told her to see if she could put the pieces back together correctly, kind of like she would work a puzzle. The little girl agreed. Five minutes later, she showed her father the pieces put back together perfectly. He was amazed. When he asked her how she had done the task so quickly, she said, “Oh, on the back was a picture of Jesus and I figured if I got Him right, the world would fall into place.” Our worlds are in chaos because we aren’t focused on Jesus.

-- Tony Evans

#3870

CHRIST ALONE, OUR CORNERSTONE

"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.'"  (Isaiah 28:16)

Wikipedia defines CORNERSTONE as: The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.

Christ should forever be our CORNERSTONE...Everything else in our lives should be set in reference to Him, thus determining our every move, decision, and focus in life.

Christ alone, our Cornerstone!

-- Source unknown

#3863

FOCUSED ON JESUS

"But when Peter noticed the strong wind,^* he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' ³¹Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'"  (Matthew 14:30-31)

God calls us to be so focused on Jesus that, even if we are in the midst of a crisis, even if there are very real dangers around, we will remain calm, knowing that our focus on God always keeps us from sinking.

-- Copyright Eric Folkerth 1999. All Rights Reserved. (Used with Permission)

#3798

FOCUS IS THE KEY TO RENEWAL

Renewal happens as the church moves from a vague theism to a clear faith in Jesus Christ. The focus of the church is not the church, but Jesus Christ! God is made known to us in Christ. Faith comes alive in Christ...

Renewal is much more than adding a little more Jesus to the mix. A little more Jesus won't work. Jesus has to be the absolute focus. It must be an all-or-nothing proposition. A clear focus on Jesus Christ as the object of faith and the cause of truth is the key to renewal.

-- Michael Slaughter in Beyond Playing Church

#3717

WHERE ARE YOUR EYES FOCUSED?

NOTE: Yesterday I preached on "Focusing on Jesus" and used two photos of mine to make the point that it matters what we focus on. Those photos are the first two images on my website: www.davidt-wilkinson.artistwebsites.com. Today's quote continues that theme of being focused on Christ.

WHERE ARE YOUR EYES FOCUSED?

Some years ago a sociologist accompanied a group of mountain climbers on an expedition. Among other things, he observed a distinct correlation between cloud cover and contentment. When there was no cloud cover and the peak was in view, the climbers were energetic and cooperative. When the gray clouds eclipsed the view of the mountaintop, though, the climbers were sullen and selfish.

The same thing happens to us. As long as our eyes are on God's majesty there is a bounce in our step. But let our eyes focus on the dirt beneath us and we will grumble about every rock and crevice we have to cross. For this reason Paul urged, "Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to the things going on around Christ -- that's where the action is. See things from His perspective." (Colossians 3:2 MSG)

-- Max Lucado in Let the Journey Begin

#3716

FOCUSED ON GOD

When our lives are focused on God, awe and wonder lead us to worship God, filling our inner being with a fullness we would never have thought possible.  Awe prepares the way in us for the power of God to transform us and this transformation of our inner attitudes can only take place when awe leads us in turn to wonder, admiration, reverence, surrender, and obedience toward God.

-- James Houston in The Transforming Power of Prayer

#3715

LIVING BY FAITH

The Christian faith is really not ours till we live by it, till it is the focus of our thoughts, words, and actions, till it goes with us into every place, sits uppermost on every occasion, and forms and governs our hopes and fears, our cares and pleasures.

-- adapted from William Law (1686-1761)


#3613

SOUL EXERCISE

I have been doing a lot of walking lately. I have been doing it for the exercise it gives me. I am not talking about bodily exercise either; although I am sure that my body is much fitter because of it. I have been doing it rather for the wonderful exercise it gives my soul.

Walking helps me to slow down long enough to see that single red leaf laying along the path, to feel the cool breeze on my face, to watch the glorious sunlight turn the waves and ripples along the lake near my home into a thousand golden dancers, and to feel the love of God all around me. It helps me to see just how beautiful this world and life are. It makes me want to fill myself with the love, joy, energy, vitality, delight, peace, and bliss that God gives us all and then share them with the world. This wonderful soul exercise helps me to become the person God meant for me to be and gives me the strength to help others do the same.

-- Joseph J. Mazzella


#3353

FOCUSING ON CHRIST

You could almost believe the apostle had today in mind when he wrote to his young friend, "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care.  Turn away from Godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing, have wandered from the faith"  (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

With all of this information and all these options at our fingertips, it is more important than ever that we stay focused on the true God and His Son, Jesus, not allowing ourselves to be sidetracked into areas of false teaching that could prove destructive to our faith.

When you stop to think about it, the key to just about everything lies in focus.

The writer to the Hebrews called it "fixing our thoughts" and "fixing our eyes."  "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess … Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 3:1; 12:2). In other words, rivet your attention on Jesus.  Lock onto God's Son for dear life. Even when distractions around you seem overpowering.  Even when your heart is breaking.

-- Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton in More Jesus, Less Religion


#3271

LOOKING TO THE LORD

To You I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned in the heavens!
As the eyes of servants
look to the hand of their master,...
so our eyes look to the Lord our God. (Psalm 123:1,2 NRSV)

The way each day will look to you all starts with Who you're looking to.

 

-- Unknown

 

 

#3216

FACING YOUR GIANTS

"And David said, 'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine [giant].'” (1 Samuel 17:37)

Giants. We must face them. Yet we need not face them alone. Focus first, and most, on God. The times David did, giants fell. The days he didn't, David did…

Focus on giants -- you stumble.

Focus on God -- your giants tumble.

Lift your eyes. Giant-slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you. 

-- Max Lucado in Facing Your Giants


#3084