| Living for Heaven’s Sake |
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| By Rick Warren — Mar 22, 2015 |
“If they had wanted to, they could have gone back to the good things of this world. But they didn’t want to. They were living for heaven. And now God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has made a heavenly city for them.” (Hebrews 11:15-16 TLB)
Heaven changes everything about how you live today. If you’re headed to Heaven (and after yesterday’s devotional, I hope you are), then that reality should impact how you live here on Earth.
Your value system changes. Instead of living for the here and now, you’ll live for eternity. You can also live knowing your future is secure. No matter what happens on Earth, you’ll spend an eternity with God in the most amazing place you’ve ever been.
So how should you live if you know your eternal destination is Heaven?
- Don’t be distracted by temptation. “Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven, I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls” (1 Peter 2:11 TLB). You can be distracted by lots of things — both good and bad. Stay focused on what’s of eternal significance. Delay gratification. Everything in society tries to get you to do just the opposite. Stay focused on what’s ahead.
- Don’t be discouraged by trouble. “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT). When you live in light of eternity, trouble just doesn’t bother you as much anymore. You know troubles won’t last forever, so you simply don’t give up.
- Focus your energy on what will last. “Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here” (Colossians 3:2 TLB). Fulfill the purposes of God in your life. Live a life of worship. Build relationships with God’s people. Invest your time in becoming more like Jesus through discipleship. Serve others with abandon. Tell people about Jesus. Those activities last forever.
You were made for Heaven. If you’ve made Jesus the boss of your life, you’ll spend eternity there. Let that truth sink in for a moment.
Then let it change your life.
Talk It Over
- What temptations most distract you from matters of eternal consequence?
- What are some good things that can distract us from what God wants to do through us?
- What short-term troubles are causing you stress right now? How can focusing on eternity change your perspective on them?
For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:14
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The almighty God of this universe made us with His own hands. What an incredible thought! The Bible says that God stretched out the universe and flung the stars into the sky with just a word. But when it came to the creation of mankind, God seemingly knelt down and lovingly created us from the dust of the ground—just like a potter, creating something beautiful out of a lump of unformed clay.
This means that God purposely and creatively constructed us! He made us wonderfully and beautifully, even though the main ingredient He used was dirt!
I think it’s interesting that Genesis 1-2 speaks of man’s creation in such lofty terms as the image and likeness of God, yet also records that we are made of perhaps the most common element of earth, the dust of the ground. That’s why we should be careful to remain humble. We are not only made from the dust of the earth, but Scripture says that our bodies will also return to dust one day.
Does that mean our bodies don’t matter to God? Not at all! Our bodies are the temple of God here on earth. Everything we do with our bodies is a matter of great importance to Him. In fact, the Bible teaches that we are the workmanship of Christ and therefore our bodies are not our own, to do anything we want to with them.
My friend, you are the magnificent creation of God—spirit and body. So live your life and treat your body in a way that honors God and reminds you that you belong to Him!
God’s Most Personal Creation; Treat It Well.
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