The Lord is so faithful and so kind. You are most likely already very aware of this, but allow me to share with you how He recently took the time to encourage me. My workplace has been extremely stressful and heart breaking lately. The health care system is rapidly degrading and it is doing so at the expense of the very people we are supposed to be taking care of. Observing how the worship of money results in the neglect of those who rely on others for care is nearly unbearable. As you can tell, it has been a real struggle.
So, this morning, as I finished reading the book of Revelation, chapters 21 and 22 left me in tears of gratitude and motivated to write this blog. These chapters serve as a beautiful reminder of whom our lives should be and whom our future will be centered around. Most of us struggle through our days, often overwhelmed with the worries of this life. Between work, family, health, and other everyday hassles, God’s children are left exhausted and, unfortunately, focused on the world. His Word tells us it should not be this way and even presents us with the solution.
2 Timothy 2:4 “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.”
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Though it is true that we must handle the day to day challenges of this life, our focus and motivation should be the Lord and our eternity with Him.
Colossians 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
How do we maintain focus on a God we cannot “see” or touch and a future that seems fictional, at best? The answer to this question is the same one God has provided for every single problem we face.
Matthew 4:4 “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”’”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 “pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
In order for the Lord and Heaven to be our reality and remain our focus, we must read our Bibles and pray EVERY DAY! We must obey His Word and be grateful EVERY DAY! We must orient our lives around the One who saved us. We must pray for the faith we lack, especially when our reality becomes the things of this world vs the things of God. We are, in fact, ambassadors on this planet- our true residency being in Heaven with the Lord.
Philippians 3:20 “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”
So, if you are currently feeling stressed out and both God and Heaven seem like distant concepts- may I suggest that you sit down and read Revelation 21-22? If/when you do, you will surely be blessed as He reminds you that your life and your future is all about Him.
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Love in Christ,
Monica Ledford