Barometer of the Heart

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. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:1-3 NIV)

I have just completed a lengthy and one-sided conversation with my 15 year-old son concerning an electronic device which I have taken away from him for the umpteenth time. I have found this electronic device to be somewhat of a barometer revealing where my son is spiritually, as well as in his maturity. It has divulged his position regarding honesty, obedience, integrity, not to mention honor of his parents and others.

The truth is that we all have our own barometers which reveal where we really are in our walk with Christ. It may be a car, or a boat, or clothing. It could be a certain job, or a dream, or even a relationship which reveals how submissive we are to the will of God, or how stubborn we are in attaining our own will and not God's. Heaven forbid that God would actually say "no" to our having our heart's desires, asking us to defer to His will and timing. The "thing" is not the issue; the heart is!

Should that "thing" be taken away from you and me, what will our response be? Will we pine forever until it is replaced, or will we shrug and simply return to our Bible and prayer time. Should God allow us to have certain possessions or relationships, how will we react once these things or people are taken from us? Our first reaction tells us exactly where we are in our relationship with Christ Jesus. Are our hearts indeed set on things above, or on things of this earth? For the person who has his or her life in godly order, things are merely tools for living life, and people are to be loved and enjoyed for as long as God allows, as we give thanks to Him fully for each and every one.

As I told my son, I believe that everything we need--past, present and future--has been taken and hidden in Jesus Christ. If we need it, He has it for us as we seek Him, His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). For our own benefit, we know that anything that God provides is safe and suitable for our subsistence on this earth. Anything that we have to go and get for ourselves without God's approval will be harmful for us and our families. Thus, if all we ever did was to set our minds on things of heaven where Christ sits enthroned, then we know that our needs would be met according to "His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). It is there, on Christ Jesus, where our minds and hearts should be set. In contrast with Him, everything else becomes impertinent and unimportant.

What are your possessions and relationships telling you? Let us each resolve to set our minds on things of heaven, and not on things of this earth.

Heaven's Love

After having lived in 7 different decades (I'm not quite as old as that sounds), I have found (shock) that there really are two different worlds.

The world that the Bible speaks of is basically the dimension that is built to run without God. This is the realm where people are taught that they must either rely on themselves or on the government to meet their every need. Republicans and Democrats? Anyway, this is the world where you are loved if you produce. It could be your company, it could be your family, or it could be your church. If they love you, you are probably producing something of value; otherwise, you would not be loved, and in the case of your company, you would probably be without a job. In our western world, the politician who gives the most (of our money) is the one who is loved so much that he or she is repeatedly re-elected, or eventually promoted to president. If you don't give your spouse what he or she needs, eventually you will be looking for a new spouse. That is just how it works in the world! You are loved for what you do!

Now in God's world, as in just about everything else, His ways are diametrically opposed to the ways of this world. God does not love us because of what we do! Our most righteous, holy moments cannot outweigh our sin. No, God loves us, period. He loves us so much to send His Son to die for us; those who receive Jesus as Lord are adopted into the family of God, and we are loved no matter what we do or do not do. Contrary to the ways of the world, we are first loved, and then we proceed to do good things as a result of the grace that has been given to us.

I have found a Psalm that may be the shortest, but may be one of the most profound. When little is said, that is in itself an exclamation point. Maybe nothing else needs to be said!

Psalm 117 (NIV): "Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD."

The world loves us for what we produce. God loves us. And then we produce!

May we learn to live with Heaven's love here in the midst of this world. May we learn to love others with God's love, knowing it is this love that inspires others to produce good fruit as a result of God's love for them. Amen.