QBC DAILY NUGGET (Thursday, Dec 11) - COLOSSIANS 1:15-17 – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Theme of the Day: VIEWING LIFE FROM THE RIGHT PLACE. I know it seems like the world is out of control. Terrorism, corruption in politics, heinous national sins, wars and rumors of wars . . . the world is really messed up with all that we see unfolding before us. And if we stay in the realm of the seen to interpret life, even as Christians, we lose sight of where the real world is – the unseen. Should our minds be fixed in the seen world, we, too, will succumb to the spirits of our culture – despair, discontent, fear, and hopelessness. The Apostle Paul tells us, “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 CORINTHIANS 4:17-18). Where our interpretation of life is formed; in the unseen or seen world, will determine the quality of our Christian life as well as our influence in the seen world for the unseen Christ. When it comes to seeing the world as it really is, the only place to do so is from heaven down. To view life horizontally breeds nothing but despair and hopelessness. Just attend a funeral of an unbeliever in a setting attended by a majority of unbelievers. One sees the hopelessness in their faces as life is only seen from an earthly or horizontal perspective. Even as Christians, we cannot view life horizontally when it comes to body life in the church of the Lord Jesus. Certainly, each of us are called to live lives worthy of the Gospel and be examples to one another (1 THESSALONIANS 1:2-10). Yet, we fail one another. We hurt one another. Hopefully not on purpose, but we still struggle with selfishness and other sins which lead us to disappoint one another. The only place to properly interpret life in this world is from heaven, and particularly, the throne room in heaven. If we can get our minds there before we go out there (into the world), we will be far more compassionate and patient with people as we see them either in the bondage of Satan or in Christ needing encouragement. Another thing will happen if we see life from the Lord’s throne room. The urgency of the Gospel will grip us with greater force and passion. We will see how short life is and why we are left in this world. A final application if we see life from heaven is that in the midst of all the chaos and confusion, we will rest in a Sovereign Lord who is really in control of everything and everyone. And this will bring comfort to our souls. May God help us see life from the right place. Prayer: “Father, thank You for sending Your Son to make all things new and rule over all things well.” Quotable: “Don’t let the chaos of the seen world cause you to forget the One is in control of the seen world.”
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 10:34:18 +0000
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