Seven Benefits to Looking Toward Heaven. #1. It is evidence of genuine salvation. Are you preoccupied with heaven? Thats a good indication youre saved. Is that where your heart is? Do you long to be in the heavenlies? Do you long to commune with God? Do you lay your treasure up in that place? Do you have your affections set on things above, not on things on the earth? Looking toward heaven is evidence of genuine salvation. A heart set on heaven is a heart set on God. And a heart set on God is a heart God has changed. The truest evidence of saving grace may be a heavenly attitude. Look at your life. Are you constantly looking toward heaven? Is the hunger of your heart the things of God, communion with God, the realities of eternity? Thats evidence that youre a Christian. If it isnt there, the evidence isnt there. #2. Looking toward heaven is important because it is the motive to the highest excellence of Christian character. Nothing can compel you to be what God wants you to be more strongly than the truths about heaven. If you understand about the inheritance and the rewards and the glories and the joys and the privileges and the capacities of heaven, and you understand that Christ Himself will serve you forever out of gratitude for what you have done, that is the most compelling reality to drive you toward the highest excellence of Christian character. That is the hope that purifies, and John said, that purges the heart, communing with the Lord of heaven, traveling there through prayer and meditation and devotion purges the heart and motivates toward obedience. When you commune continually with the living God, when you have a hope of eternal heaven, that purifies your life, that purges your heart. Is that true in your life? Are you so set on heaven that your life is pure? #3. The benefit of looking toward heaven is that its the truest path to a life of joy. If you want to be miserable, just get your focus here in this world. If you want to be joyful, get your focus on heaven. David said the light of Gods face gladdens the heart. We rejoice in hope and we can endure any suffering in the light of glory, said Paul. The eternal weight of glory is far beyond anything we suffer in this life. As we look toward heaven it becomes the evidence of genuine salvation, the motive to the highest excellence of Christian character and the truest path to a life of joy. Are you experiencing joy in your life? Or when you do inventory are you constantly depressed, down, dour, sort of sour through life? Thats because you have lost your joy because your face is stuck on this passing world. #4. Looking toward heaven is the best preservative against temptation and sin. A heavenly mind does not stoop to the depth of evil. A heavenly mind does not stoop to vanity. A heavenly mind is not a victim of sensual impulses. A heavenly mind is a heavenly mind, not an earthly one. And when you set your affections on things above in Colossians 3, you will, says Paul, mortify then the deeds of the flesh. Youll slay them. Satans attempt in temptation and sin is to set his traps to catch us with our mind on the earth. But you show me a believer whose mind is on heaven, who longs for full righteousness and the presence of God and Ill show you one who is not an easy prey to Satan. If youre finding yourself continually falling into Satans traps, its because youre preoccupied with the things here rather than the glories of God. #5. Looking toward heaven has the benefit of maintaining the vigor or the energy of spiritual service. If you run slow in the Christian race and if you worked very little in Christian service and if youre unfaithful in rendering to the Lord that which is due to Him, it is because you have little regard for the promised prize. If you had proper regard for the heavenly prize, you would be compelled in spiritual service. Fervency comes from the vision of heavens reward. And if you understand the reality of heavens eternal reward, you should be compelled to spiritual service. If you have trouble being faithful, being diligent, giving your all in serving Christy Bradley Fitzwater, its because you have little regard for the promised prize. It doesnt matter to you that God has promised you eternal reward. Thats not as important to you as whatever trivia youre doing here. #6. The benefit of looking toward heaven is also that it honors God before all. When your heart is set on heaven, you demonstrate your love for God, you demonstrate that you exalt God. Your faithful service gives to the people who see you a high view of God, that He is not only all demanding but He is all worthy. You live in a heavenly sphere and you are honoring the exalted God. If you live your life looking toward heaven, you honor God before all who see your life. And you say and show what a God you serve, so worthy of your best. If you are happy in this mundane muck of a world we are living in and think this is the best it will ever be then you are dishonoring God because you are saying life on earth is better than anything has to offer. Looking toward heaven means youre honoring God before all. If you live that kind of life the people watching you are going to say he must serve some wonderful God...she must serve some wonderful God to so totally give his or her life to him. #7. The benefit of looking toward heaven is that it repays God. Some may ask, What do you mean it repays God? Well, His heart is always set on us, why shouldnt our heart always be set on Him? His heart is always toward us. Why shouldnt our hearts be always toward Him? And by the way, theres nothing in this world worth more than setting your heart on God, is there? How could we not be preoccupied by having our heart set on God when Gods heart is always set on us? . The Psalmist said, Ill be satisfied when I awake in Thy likeness. Will you be satisfied with anything less than that? If you will, then you dont understand the attitude of living a heavenly perspective. What would satisfy you? What would really satisfy you? Anything less than being like Christ misses the point.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 02:11:28 +0000
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