Read 2 Corinthians Chapter 5
“This is not your home” is a phrase I hear often in the Christian culture. That is a very true statement for the Believer. Our true home is Heaven with our Father. Do you hold onto that attitude? I know I don’t really keep it all the time. I concern myself with earthly stuff and let it trip me up.
This morning I was considering finances. Recent costs I incurred were much more than I had anticipated and I was left with much less money than planned. I knew I could forgo my tithe and things would work out just fine. Tithing to the church is a choice. If I do not give what I agreed to, no one will know but me and God. But if I do not give, then where am I placing my worship and my faith? Is my faith in the gas tank? Is my worship to the hair dresser or the mortgage company? Once again, if I tithe, no one will know but me and God, (and the church accountant). I can choose to forget that my real home is in Heaven and worry about bills or I can remember who my God is and exercise faith and give. The choice is mine.
I want to keep my mind on the eternal rather than the temporary. I long for this temporary life to be done with so I can get on to being with Jesus face to face. I want to experience the perfection He has made for me. The wonder of eternity calls my soul. You and I have been given a taste of it here on earth. We have the Holy Spirit who is transforming us to that completion in Christ. We have the ability to commune with The LORD God Almighty. What an awesome and wonderful thing.
Keeping our minds on the eternal should have an effect on our attitudes and actions though.
1.) We have a taste of perfection now in The Holy Spirit and we are always connected to The Lord and our fellow Believers. Verse 5 reads,
“He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
2.) It heps us exercise faith, since we know that this earth is temporary and it is Heaven and The New Earth that are eternal. Whatever trials I go through I have the promise of eternity with Jesus to carry me through. Verses 6-7 read,
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
3.) We want to please God because we know He is with us now and one day we will face judgment for our deeds. Verses 9-10 read,
“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil”
4.) Knowing the beauty and wonder of Heaven and knowing that everyone will face judgment makes us want to tell everyone about Jesus and convince them of the awesome truth of The Gospel. Verse 11 reads,
“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.”
5.) We know that God sees our hearts, our motivations, our true actions and we don’t concern ourselves with pleasing people, but we still hope our honorable and loving actions will win them over to Christ. Winning people to Christ by Jesus’ love and loving them as He loves us is a priority. (Verses 11-15).
6.) Just as God sees us by our hearts, we see people (including ourselves) with new heavenly eyes and hearts because we know that when a person is saved they become a whole new person. The person is completely forgiven. Verses 16-19 read,
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
So I hope that you will strive to keep an eternal and heavenly perspective as you walk your walk each day be courageous and faithful. Remember you are forgiven, new and reconciled to Christ. He longs for everyone to come to Him and with The Holy Spirit you have the ability to persuade people to the beautiful truth of Jesus. This is not your home. This chapter closes with verses 20-21. Meditate on the awesomeness of these verses.
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
“This is not your home” is a phrase I hear often in the Christian culture. That is a very true statement for the Believer. Our true home is Heaven with our Father. Do you hold onto that attitude? I know I don’t really keep it all the time. I concern myself with earthly stuff and let it trip me up.
This morning I was considering finances. Recent costs I incurred were much more than I had anticipated and I was left with much less money than planned. I knew I could forgo my tithe and things would work out just fine. Tithing to the church is a choice. If I do not give what I agreed to, no one will know but me and God. But if I do not give, then where am I placing my worship and my faith? Is my faith in the gas tank? Is my worship to the hair dresser or the mortgage company? Once again, if I tithe, no one will know but me and God, (and the church accountant). I can choose to forget that my real home is in Heaven and worry about bills or I can remember who my God is and exercise faith and give. The choice is mine.
I want to keep my mind on the eternal rather than the temporary. I long for this temporary life to be done with so I can get on to being with Jesus face to face. I want to experience the perfection He has made for me. The wonder of eternity calls my soul. You and I have been given a taste of it here on earth. We have the Holy Spirit who is transforming us to that completion in Christ. We have the ability to commune with The LORD God Almighty. What an awesome and wonderful thing.
Keeping our minds on the eternal should have an effect on our attitudes and actions though.
1.) We have a taste of perfection now in The Holy Spirit and we are always connected to The Lord and our fellow Believers. Verse 5 reads,
“He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”
2.) It heps us exercise faith, since we know that this earth is temporary and it is Heaven and The New Earth that are eternal. Whatever trials I go through I have the promise of eternity with Jesus to carry me through. Verses 6-7 read,
“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
3.) We want to please God because we know He is with us now and one day we will face judgment for our deeds. Verses 9-10 read,
“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil”
4.) Knowing the beauty and wonder of Heaven and knowing that everyone will face judgment makes us want to tell everyone about Jesus and convince them of the awesome truth of The Gospel. Verse 11 reads,
“Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.”
5.) We know that God sees our hearts, our motivations, our true actions and we don’t concern ourselves with pleasing people, but we still hope our honorable and loving actions will win them over to Christ. Winning people to Christ by Jesus’ love and loving them as He loves us is a priority. (Verses 11-15).
6.) Just as God sees us by our hearts, we see people (including ourselves) with new heavenly eyes and hearts because we know that when a person is saved they become a whole new person. The person is completely forgiven. Verses 16-19 read,
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
So I hope that you will strive to keep an eternal and heavenly perspective as you walk your walk each day be courageous and faithful. Remember you are forgiven, new and reconciled to Christ. He longs for everyone to come to Him and with The Holy Spirit you have the ability to persuade people to the beautiful truth of Jesus. This is not your home. This chapter closes with verses 20-21. Meditate on the awesomeness of these verses.
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
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