Processing with Eternal Filters

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  John 14: 1-3

The followers of Jesus were having a difficult time understanding him when he talked about heaven. Not ever having heard this concept before, their minds continually returned to the here and now – the tangible. They were stuck in the rut of earthly thinking.

We are creatures of the same habit. Often in our spiritual lives we internalize the principals of Jesus’ teaching. But internalizing is only temporary. Our focus should be on eternalizing our thoughts and actions. Thinking in terms of our beliefs having an eternal effect puts perspective on what we do and say. Our vision of life should extend beyond our life on this earth.

God has given us a glimpse of heaven and it’s a picture that is almost too big for us to comprehend. But when we change the way we think, and keep our eyes on eternity, the concept becomes clear. Are we processing our beliefs through eternal filters?

Life is not about the here and now. We must let go of internalizing life. Think bigger than you have ever thought before, then think even bigger than that! You will be closer to understanding the kind of place that will be your home for eternity.

Devotion to God

Well, here I am starting a new blog. I have been writing devotions for some time. But it wasn't until recently (yesterday in fact)that I thought of sharing them in a blog exclusively for devotionals. So here is the first one. I hope you will enjoy, visit again and draw some meaning from what God has shared with me.
Blessings.

I Corinthians 13:13
"And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

I listened to a video sermon given by a friend of mine this morning. In his message he mentioned that real love - charity - perfects grace, mercy and kindness in our everyday lives. For some reason that brought me up short. Grace, mercy and kindness in my everyday life, huh? If you are like me, you tend to think of those attributes occurring only when there is a big issue to be addressed. I don't always think of exercising them in even the little things in my daily life.

Our lives are full of seemingly insignificant incidents. We engage other people, write emails, talk to family members and make choices every day. Bearing in mind that we are to reflect the light and charity of Jesus, how often do we operate in grace, mercy and kindness? Perhaps we should pay more attention to words, actions and attitudes that shape our final outcomes for the day. Days piled upon days shape a life. What shape will our life take, and how will we reflect the charity of Jesus? We do it moment by moment, remembering that the great gifts we give make a difference in reaching a lost world.

The greatest gift is charity - the kind that reflects Jesus.