Focusing on the End Game
What is your perspective about your life?
Verse of the Day
“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.”
Today’s Devotional
Do you feel like you have been raised with Christ? Can you wrap your brain around the “new creation” that you are because of Jesus? Sometimes I get frustrated with the old/sinful/fleshly part of me. In fact, I get frustrated with myself a lot. I have this notion that if I am spending time with God and really trying to put God first in my life, that there will be some elevated plain that I should be able to achieve and maintain. I have not found that to be true. Like, even for one whole day.
Maybe it’s because I don’t truly set my mind on things above. But if I’m honest, I’m not sure that I really know what that means. Am I supposed to be thinking about heaven? And how does any of this help with discernment?
If I am thinking about “things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” what am I thinking about? Maybe this means I should focus on the end goal, when all will be made right and evil is permanently destroyed. Perhaps that would give me a better perspective of my day-to-day life, and it would help me to see where I should be headed.
This makes me think about when I was planning my wedding. I had seven months to plan an event that would be a meaningful ceremony, joining my life with James’s life. This was a long time ago, and I can’t say that I remember the planning part all that well. But I do know that there is a lot of hassle, logistics and preparation for that kind of event. I doubt that when I was stuffing envelopes, I was complaining about the mundane chore. I would bet my perspective was, “I can’t wait to get these invitations ready and in the mail because that brings me one step closer to marrying the man I love.“ Some of the details were fun, like cake testing. Some were a hassle, like compiling the guest list and getting everyone’s address – which was clearly long before social media. But even the parts that were drudgery got me closer to my wedding. There was a joyful anticipation that permeated my whole life, because I had something so beautiful to look forward to.
Maybe that kind of perspective is what is being referenced in this verse. Every day that I live, I am closer to my ultimate goal of being in heaven for eternity with Jesus. Every single day could be lived with a joyful anticipation. A good day or a bad day gets me closer to Jesus. As I live my life with the end goal in mind, perhaps that will help me to discern which direction and decisions align with where I’m headed. And in that process, this perspective will help me to live each day with a desire to share the love that enables me to have this perspective.
Discernment is simply a tool that helps me to align myself with the will of God. If I can keep a clear idea of where I am headed, maybe I will have a better idea what needs to be done today. And those things that need to be done will be completed with a joyful anticipation.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What does “set your heart on things above” mean to you?
How could you live today with joyful anticipation?
How would keeping your focus on spending eternity in heaven with Jesus change your day today?
How does your eternal destination help your discernment today?
What earthly things take up too much space in your mind and heart? How can you change your perspective about those specific things today?