Things Above Thought
TAT #24
Endurance & Victory
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity. (Proverbs 24:16)
The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. (Proverbs 24:16 NLT)
Things Above Thoughts
TAT #21
Suffering & Value
We all sin every once in a while but we have a loving Father:
And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons? “My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline or give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” (Hebrews 12:5–6 NET)
But He does so (disciplines us) for our benefit, that we may share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10b)
His discipline reveals His love for us and His holiness is only valuable to us when heaven is our value.
Things Above Thoughts
TAT #20
Witness
No body knows the troubles you’ve seen!
You have tried to be faithful to God and you have seen much hurt and pain from all the confrontations and battles. Some of the pain remains with you today. But understanding yesterday’s battles from God’s perspective lessens today’s pain.
The Good of the battle:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)
The Glory of the battle:
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan– a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things. The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church (that’s you) the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 3:9–10 NET clarification and emphasis added)
In heaven – your pain is known and God is glorified by your faithfulness – in heaven!
Things Above Thoughts
TAT #19
GOALS
What goals do you have for your life? Love, family, home, good job, money, retirement?
Check out these goals straight from the lips of our Lord:
Thus says the LORD of hosts, “If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.” (Zechariah 3:7)
The above goals might add a little clarity to Matthew 6:20–21:
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If we are not living for eternity we are not Living.
Things Above Thought
TAT #18
Expectations
We expect governments to be fair and equitable. We expect society to exhibit a certain degree of social manners. We expect loved ones to be loving. We expect our friends to be friendly. We expect those who call themselves Christians to act like Christians. The LORD never asks us to have expectations of others. However:
The anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:19–21)
All creation is watching, waiting on, and expecting – YOU.
Things Above Thought
TAT #15
Eternal Light
Look at your life in the light of today and you will see your sin;
Look at your life in the light of eternity and you will see your glory—His eternal glory:
If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
(1 Corinthians 15:19)
Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Revelation 19:7–8)
Things Above Thought
TAT #14
Spiritual Strength
How was your workout this morning? A good breakfast? It has been said that: “You are not a physical being having a spiritual experience, you are an eternal spiritual being having a temporary physical experience.”
You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; . . . talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 11:18–19)
“MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.” (Matthew 4:4)
So let me ask again: How was your workout this morning?
Things Above Thought
TAT #12
Regret & Expectations
It seems that some of our expectations have produced regret. It also seems that some of our remembered regret causes us to lower our present expectations. Let us once again raise our expectations.
Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14 NET)
I use to think I had no impact on heaven but then I read:
I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . (Matthew 6:20)
I’m glad I repented of the thought that I have no impact on heaven.
I wonder what else can I do this week to impact heaven?
We talk with our lips. We talk to people, the people in front of us, the people behind us, the people on the phone, the people in our family, to friends, to strangers, we even talk to our enemies.
We project our feelings with our lips; we even reveal our minds and what we think of ourselves.
And with our lips we also lie to ourselves, to the rest of the world, and create conflict.
But it is our daily lives that scream out our character, our goals, and our God – or our gods. Therefore remember:
make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, (1 Thessalonians 4:1)
I (the Lord) deal with each person according to how he has behaved. I give them what they deserve based on what they have done. (Jeremiah 17:10 NET)