Glory Seed Devotionals, 2015: Year of Promise
Keep your feet on the water and your eyes on heaven…
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2, NLT)
Paul's instructions in this mornings scripture remind me of Peter's ill fated walk on the water. You remember remember the story. Things were going great then suddenly distracted by the storm Peter took his eyes off Jesus down he it went. As long as Peter had Jesus in his sight Peter's focus was Jesus and not Peter but the instant his focus was no longer Jesus the storm and the water put their claim on him.
One of the most powerful “things” we struggle with is not the “storms” life puts in our path but whether our focus is on the storm or on Jesus. I know this to be true because I struggle with it on a daily basis. And sorry to say like Peter many times my eyes shift from Jesus to myself and I find myself drowning in a sea of doubt, despair, depression, discouragement.
I can't speak for Peter but when my focus changes from Jesus to Gary the most important thing I begin looking for is Jesus' hand reaching from heaven. Sometimes he extends it quickly and other times he makes me “tread water” for awhile. Someday maybe I'll learn when storms do come I'll be able to keep my focus on Jesus after all you'd think after all these years keeping my eyes on the “things of heaven” and Jesus wouldn't be a problem. I am getting better at it however.
One last thing. Paul wasn't the first person to talk about keeping our feet on the water and our eyes on heaven, Jesus was. “...I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:25–27, NLT)
Believe! Anticipate! Experience! Be transformed!
Grace and PEACE, Amen!
Gary
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“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NLT)
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“Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.”
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