I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Look Up
It’s so normal to spend our time, energy, and attention focusing on the here and now. We’re busy, after all. Sometimes we're preoccupied. And when we stop to really think about it, it’s difficult to perceive something beyond our five senses.
But in his letter to the Colossians, Paul encourages his fellow believers to look up:
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”
Colossians 3:1 NLT
Think about that. The realities of heaven. As you think about Paul’s words, here are four things to consider:
1. Heaven isn’t some vague, dream-like state. It’s a real place, with real people, where God is the true King.
2. There will come a day when we will all meet God face to face. Everything we’ve hoped for will finally be revealed.
3. Our troubles and our heartbreaks (and even death itself) are temporary! Scripture tells us that a time is coming when God will do away with pain and death and sickness and suffering—forever.
4. God is still on His throne, with Jesus beside Him in the place of honor. No matter how crazy, senseless, or heartbreaking the world can seem, we can have confidence knowing that nothing is outside of God’s sovereign plan.
So when you’re tempted to look around at others or look inward at yourself, look up instead. Heaven is wherever God is, and that’s the truest reality of all.
First Things First
There are plenty of things in life that beg for our attention. Our days are filled with relationships and responsibilities, all of which take time.
In Jesus’ famous sermon in Matthew 6, He spends some time talking about the various things we give our attention to. He explains that instead of spending all of our time and energy worrying about our basic need and desires in life, we should first seek His kingdom and His righteousness. If we do that, everything else will fall into place.
So, what does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness?
God’s kingdom is about God’s rule and reign over all of creation. His kingdom was unleashed during Jesus’ ministry on earth, and is now growing and expanding throughout the global Church. The work of the kingdom is to continue to tell others about the hope of Jesus, and to teach everything that Jesus has commanded.
To seek God’s righteousness is to desire to live the way God intended. It's to live according to God’s...
