Eternal Perspective
There are days when I know I am crushing it as a parent. My children behave, use manners, love each other, and obey. There are also days that through my children, and husband if I’m honest, my sin is exposed, raw, and open for rebuke. In the moments of exposure, it’s so easy to get engulfed with chaotic overstimulation, anxiousness, and disarray. Sleepless nights bring a quick fuse, a short temper, and word vomit. My mind filled with “what ifs” and “should haves.” Although there is immense joy and love for my family, it doesn’t make it any easier. I can easily get swept away in the moment or day. I lose my eternal perspective. I lose sight that I am a child of the of the Most High.
An eternal perspective is a way of seeing the pain, pleasure, and purpose in our lives as part of the redemptive story God is orchestrating; He is Sovereign. My hope no longer rests in my children’s behavioral issues, my husband’s annoyances, or my overwhelming selfishness. Instead, I look to the One who created my family, and I rest in knowing that He has already crafted His design for family, even my family. And when my sin is exposed, I can still have an eternal perspective and not be swept away in the conviction or overthinking concern. Instead, repenting and giving my heart back to the Lord. Surrendering the ideology that I could ever do or accomplish anything without Him leading the way.
The conduct for those who are saved
1 Peter 1:13-16
(13) Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In the original Greek language, the phrase “prepare your minds” literally means “gird up the loins of your mind.” Back in ancient times, people would wear robes that weren’t very conducive to strenuous physical activity. If they wanted to do something like run or fight in a battle, they would have to gather up the loose ends of their robe and tie the robe tightly to their bodies so they would be able to move around freely, easily, and be ready for action. Peter is telling us that very same thing with our minds. To “gird up the loose ends of our minds” and take captive our roaming thoughts and conform our minds to God’s truth. You have a journey to go on, a race to run, a war to fight, a great work to do! Disengage yourselves from all that would hinder you from walking in obedience. Be vigilant against all your spiritual dangers and be modest in behavior.
(14) As obedient children do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
Don’t let sinful desires that still exist within your heart and that belong to your former self as a non-Christian pull you away from Jesus. We no longer chase the things that once consumed us, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.” Don’t let your ungodly input outweigh your godly input, be cautious of what you are feeding your hearts and minds.
(15) but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
In our pursuit of holiness, we want to make sure we are comparing ourselves with the proper standard of holiness – God Himself. We must imitate Him, though we can never equal him. He is perfectly, unchangeably, and eternally holy; and we should aspire to be like Him.
(16) because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
“The idea behind holiness is not moral purity but instead the idea of apartness. God is separate, different from His creation, both in His essential nature and in the perfection of His attributes. But instead of building a wall around His apartness and keeping us from Himself, God calls us to come to Him and share in His apartness, bringing us in when He says, “Be Holy for I am Holy.” When we fail to see God’s apartness, we begin to believe that He is just a big “super-man”, then we don’t see that His love is a Holy love, His justice is a Holy justice, and so on with all His attributes. Holiness is not so much something we possess as it is something that possesses us.” -David Guzik
Pursuing holiness consists of:
A desire to glorify God. Out of expression and gratitude for what God has done in our lives already. “Do all things to glorify God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
A desire to be close to God. Psalm 100:1-5 “Serve the LORD with joy; come before him with singing. Know that the LORD is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends. Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving and into his courtyards with songs of praise.”
A desire to avoid destructive effects of sin. John 8:34 “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” Sin is always the master.
A desire to be useful for God’s Kingdom. To make an impact on the world, you must be distinct from the world. We must live as Jesus instructs. We cannot do anything for Him, without Him. Matthew 5:16 “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.”
HOPE FOR ETERNITY INSPIRES HOLINESS IN THE PRESENT!
Life in the spirit makes us able to understand and endure suffering
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Paul suffered more than us all, and yet he considered that the future glory far outweighed the present sufferings. Considering eternity, Christian life is the best choice anyone can make.
The coming glory will not only be revealed to us but also revealed in us! God has put His glory into the believer right now. In Heaven, the glory will simply be revealed, not created.
Living like a Christian with others
Romans 12:12
Rejoicing in hope, preserving in tribulation, devoted to prayer.
The call to hope usually has in mind our ultimate reward with Jesus. We serve God rejoicing in hope of what’s to come, not in results we see right now. We are commanded to do these things with an eye towards Heaven. Trials do not excuse a lack of love in the body of Christ or a lack of willingness to do His work. Not passively putting up with things, but an active, steadfast endurance. Tribulation refers to not just some minor hurt but deep and serious trouble, a longing to be rescued by our Savior.
“Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11
PRACTICAL TIPS TO KEEP AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE:
Make the choice to be in God’s word, regularly, consistently, every day. Read a psalm before bed, “I lie down in peace… you alone, Lord, have me dwell (abide, remain) in safety” Psalm 4:8
Be still and pray, quiet your spirit and talk with Him. Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything”
Sing praise to Jesus! Gospel centered music can uplift our spirits and remind us of God’s truth. Psalm 47:6-7 “Sing praise to God, sing praise to our King… God is seated on His Holy throne”.
Rely on your community (us!) to pray for and over you, to encourage you on days you need it, and constantly remind you that we are in this together for what’s to come, not only in the here and now. We are in this together!
Written by: Krista Brown
Children’s Minister
Eternal Perspective
A long time ago when my kids were little, we gathered with dear family to share a nice meal together. Someone had made a delicious green salad, which happened to have red grapes in it. We had already prayed. The kids were sitting at the table with prepared plates in front of them. The adults were piling their plates high with all the fine fare, including the aforementioned green salad with red grapes, when all of a sudden, my four-year-old nephew cried out loud and clear over all the happy chatter in the room: “Hey!! Who put salad in my grapes!”
Laughter ensued. We all chuckled at the sweetness of his misplaced perspective. But then I thought, well yeah, who can blame him? I mean, a salad with grapes in it is quite lovely. A bunch of grapes with some lettuce thrown in? Not so much. Our perspective changes everything.
Of course, we know there’s more at stake from our perspective than whether or not we have salad in our grapes or grapes in our salad. Our perspective on the temporary things of this world and the eternal life ahead of us has a direct impact on how we live our lives today; right here and now.
A young man in Mark 10 shows us the tragedy of a misplaced perspective. This man was extremely rich (Luke 18:23), he lived a morally good life, and evidently, he wanted one more thing for his life to be complete: to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17).
He came to the right place. He came to Jesus, the source of this eternal life, but he didn’t really catch who he was talking to.
“Good teacher,” he called Jesus.
Good? Jesus is, in fact, good, but He’s also more than that. He’s the Creator of all things, Giver of life without end, full of all the goodness of God Himself, and He Himself is treasure beyond anything we could ask for or imagine.
But this rich young man didn’t get that. What this man saw was a good teacher who might be able to give him good things, including the right box to check to inherit eternal life.
Jesus told him, “…Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21b)
This was the offer: Trade the good life you know, for a life with Jesus.
If this young man had understood all that Jesus was; all that Jesus offered, he would have jumped for joy. That’s it?? All I have to do to inherit eternal life is to follow Jesus?? I’m in! But tragically, this young man’s perspective was off. All he could think of was the stuff he would lose in this trade, and he “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Mark 10:22) The rich, young ruler did not have the right perspective.
So how would the right perspective have changed things? We see an example of it displayed in another rich man, Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was also very wealthy. But he wasn’t living a good life like the rich young ruler was (Mark 10: 20). No, Zacchaeus was a swindling, chief tax collector. When he met Jesus, something changed (Luke 19:1-10). Instead of going away from Jesus sad as the first rich man did, Zacchaeus stayed with Jesus joyfully. His life was forever changed. Zacchaeus understood that his present riches were nothing compared to the immeasurable wealth of eternity with Jesus Christ. He left his life of greed and defrauding and found life in Christ, full of generosity and honesty. His perspective changed everything.
This is why Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:13 that the way to live holy and good lives in this present moment is to: “…set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of our Lord Jesus.”
When our hope is in Christ and all that is waiting for us when He returns, we will live each day with the right perspective. And it’s not just riches the Lord wants us to trade...it’s our whole lives. Our sins, our sorrows, our joys; absolutely everything we give to Jesus is changed into something infinitely better, and we’ll see the fulness of all that is true in Christ one day in our heavenly home with Him.
So, what is your perspective?
I challenge you, whatever it currently is, fix your hope fully on Christ, and live your life with the right perspective: Jesus, the living God, victorious Warrior, conquering King, loving Savior, is coming back for you one day, and all that He is far better than anything we could ever know apart from Him. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Written by: Natasha Rowden
Natasha and her husband, Derek, have been at The Mount since 2013. They have 3 fabulous teenage boys, Cole, Max, and Seth. Derek and Natasha lead a community group on Sunday mornings, and Natasha loves making God known through the teaching of His word by writing and leading Bible studies for women.