DATE POSTED Monday, 2023-01-23
WRITTEN AT: Live Oak, FL

BY: Ed Algreen

SCRIPTURE FROM: Colossians 3:1-4; 11;
TRANSLATION: Living Bible (TLB)

BIBLE TEXT: 1 Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. 3 You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God. 4 And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories.
11 In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has Christ is what matters, and he is equally available to all.

APPLICATION: As one prepares for marriage, no doubt the greatest fear is whether they can handle the change that would come their way in turning from a single, unattached, independent, fun-loving life TO a new life that is best served by unselfish individuals looking to make their partner happy, and the comfort of having an attachment that helps them feel more secure, appreciated and loved. Family members and church leaders will often acknowledge that ‘new’ Christians are ablaze with the excitement of accepting Jesus Christ, and living a life filled with joy and expectation of His return. However, when they become entrenched with other longer standing Christians, this outlook may change as they try to ‘calm’ them down and to face ‘reality’. But that’s not what I see when I read this Scripture. In fact, although I see where Paul is reminding the church of what ‘new’ Christians should expect, the Holy Spirit clearly opened my eyes to keep this foremost in my mind every day. For even if we have just experienced a life-changing event, a life filled with the unexpected love never before experienced, we don’t lose that source of joy. You see, God never lies, and He told us in His Word that He would never leave us nor forsake us. His love never fails and He is already planning for us to join He and the Father in heaven, for He has gone to prepare a place for us. So what happens to us after we are saved? Perhaps if we take note of the tips offered by Paul and ordained by God, we may remain true to our commitment when we invited Jesus into our heart. Through His servant, Paul, God commanded that we: 1). Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. His expressions of love, His comforting touch, His love displayed in many and various ways, will cause us to realize when we are drifting away. Additionally, when we keep our eyes on Jesus, we are distracted from the sights, sin and evil of this world. 2). Let heaven fill our thoughts. In doing so, the worries of this old world will fade away, for most of us, our memory easily fades away! 3). Have no more desire for the things of this world, than a dead person has. The deceased had the casket closed on them without anything else included in the casket, no matter how much they accumulated during their liftime. Our ‘new life’ or our ‘real life’ is now fixed on Jesus Christ and the joys of heaven. Let’s spend our time anxiously awaiting our transition from earth to heaven. When we do this, we will quickly discern that nothing in this world will help make heaven any better! Lastly, let us remember every day that we encounter people, that nothing else matters except whether they know Jesus. Friends, imagine awakening each day and instead of worry about how you will make your next dollar, or what you will do to discipline a staff member, or what you will tell that person who has failed to repay their debt to you, that you instead lift them up to the Father as you plead with Him for His wisdom and His guidance in leading them towards the empty cross and to find the risen Lord. Can’t you see how calming that will be for you? Anytime I can help someone, I feel blessed. Imagine helping them find the Savior of the world!! No one is exempt from Jesus, so don’t you dear show prejudice towards anyone. Just as Jesus included you in His number, so should you include all children of God!

BLESSING(S) NOTED: Whether a person has Jesus as their Savior, is all that matters to the Christian!

PRAYER: Many will cross my path today, Lord. Please teach me to be more concerned about their spiritual condition than anything else. Please help me to avoid the usual criticism of rudeness, disrespect, greed or selfishness, and instead show love to them – the true, unadulterated love of Jesus my Lord. Thank You for loving me, even while I was still a sinner needing the grace of my Father. Please place in me the desire to live as You exampled before me and love people because You first loved us. AMEN!