As I began to develop my website and blog months ago, God was stirring something inside me that would change the way I “do life” forever. The questions I began to write down… What are you living for?, What is at the heart of your decision making?, What drives you?... Then I read Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV).
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
The words in verse 2 spoke so strongly to me. I mean, I have been saved since I was “21-ish”, I was a worship leader and a pastor’s wife. I had been living for the Lord right? In that moment the voice of the Lord was so clear. ”You gave me your heart, but did you really give me your life?” I wanted to look at the Lord and say with the upmost respect… “What you talking about?” So, I read the scripture again. Since, you have been raised with Christ... Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.
When you’re taking a picture and you focus on the main object of the picture, everything around the focused object is blurred. It is still there, but your focus is on the object being photographed. It allows for an unobstructed image of what you deemed important. That’s what I believe God is trying to get us to see in this scripture. Too many times, we have allowed things in “this life” to be our driving force… can we say our “Focus”. Depending on your season of life, it could be a home, spouse, children, job etc., all of which are not bad…these things are blessings, but when they become our “Focus”, eternal things become “blurred”. Are you hearing me today? Do I need to remind all of us that this life is not permanent? So, everything we do, should be with the perspective of “navigating home”. I have lived in several places over the course of our ministry and now that we are in the military, I’m sure I’ll add a few more to the list. Each place holds special memories in my heart…each place was my home… but it was not my destination. I want you to get this today. Every moment in this life is just preparing us for eternity. What an impact on other’s lives we would have if we could ever truly get a hold of this. Many times we get so caught up in “living this life” that we lose the perspective that this “life” is not our destination. Hear me today… the direction God is taking you in, may not be all about you! I know that’s hard to believe, but God may be redirecting you, just to put you in the life of someone else who needs help “navigating home”. Quite humbling isn’t it! But Powerful! What amazing things we would see in our lives if we would just let God have complete control!
So, what in the world does this have to do with “THANKFULNESS”? Well, it’s all about perspective. We have traveled a long way over the last few days. Every moment of the trip was not “joyful”, should we say. But my boys knew the destination. Knowing their destination, and the excitement of that, kept their perspective in “check”! Come on somebody!
*KNOWING YOUR DESTINATION WILL KEEP YOUR PERSPECTIVE IN CHECK*
This past year may have brought some “unexpected” things your way. Some of them may have been “not so joyful” moments. “Thankfulness” cannot come from our circumstances but from the joy of knowing our destination and the one who is guiding us! I’m reminded of this scripture in Numbers, Chapter 13. Numbers 13: 26-33 says, “26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
The Lord had spoken to Moses to send a man from every tribe to explore the Land of Canaan, the land which God had promised them. This scripture gives us the scenario of what happened when the men returned. The land was just as God had promised! But… There’s always a but isn’t there. But the people of the Land are Huge, we look like grasshoppers compared to them. God had promised the Land and had showed them just how plentiful it was but all they could see was what they thought was an obstacle. I love Caleb though! Let’s go get’em boys! We can do this! It’s all about perspective… Yours or God’s!
God’s promise is greater than any circumstance or obstacle you may face. You have to approach it with the perspective that you already have the victory!
So as we prepare for Thanksgiving Day tomorrow, I want to you to take the perspective of “THINKfullness”!
Let your perspective set the tone for your gratitude!
“THINKfullness” is knowing that in Christ Jesus there is fullness of Joy, grace, love, direction, peace! No matter what you may have faced this past year or how different your holiday season may be,
Your God is Greater! As you are reading this today, know I am praying for you! Be a CALEB, approach your day knowing your destination, looking for the God moments in this day and making Jesus Christ your focus!
