Heavenly in the World

Tongue hanging out, head tilted to one side, and slouched in a wheelchair over a computer keyboard, she was a little shocking at first sight. She was old, and obviously disabled. Her muscle control was weak. But her will was strong. She was holding a pencil and using it to type on the computer keyboard. When she saw my Aunt and I, she was excited. But I could hardly tell what she was saying, because her tongue kept getting in the way. Her Cerebral Palsy was making it difficult for her to communicate. But my Aunt understood her.

We had come to the nursing home to pray with her. My Aunt and her do this every week they can. I was honored on my visit to be able to tag along. We found a nice spot outdoors and we prayed for the country, for others, and thanked God for who He is. She prayed for me.

From a worldly perspective, one could have thought she was a little disgusting. Drooling and all. But from a heavenly perspective, she was stunning. She was beautiful. She was significant. Is significant.

As I have been thinking more about what it means to be in the world and not of the world, I have come to some conclusions. Kind of obvious ones, and things I've known before. But it's helpful to re-discover these truths. And learn things in a new way.

We are in the world. But not "of" it. Meaning, we are no longer citizens of the world, in a spiritual sense. We are aliens. When we come to Christ, we are completely made new. Our worldly heritage is no longer master. The world is no longer "home".

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." Philippians 3:20-21

What does this mean? I think it means that our purpose, our goals, our mindset, our life is not focused any longer on the things of the world. This doesn't mean we won't think about practical things. Becoming a hermit or a monk won't make you any less worldly. But we are not to be focused on the things of the world. Our focus is on heavenly things.

So back to the discussion of my last post, being different from the world does not come from a list of rules for how to dress or behave or what to eat. How we dress or behave or what we eat might change. But not because we're trying to find that one rule that sets us apart from everyone else. We will change because our focus is on God. It's on Jesus Christ. And as we walk in obedience to Him, we change because we love Him. We choose to dress a certain way because we desire to honor Him. We avoid alcohol because we believe Him when he tells us to be sober and watchful in our prayers. The difference between worldly people and heavenly people is their focus.

So how do I live with a heavenly focus? What does that look like? I don't have all the answers, but I do know that it has to do with following Jesus. Keeping my eyes on Him. Seeing the world through His eyes. And remembering that what is happening here on earth is only a part of the story. And as I walk with Him, His Spirit will overflow in my life and I will be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control. I will be overjoyed at the things that please the Lord and deeply troubled by sin. Lord, give me a heavenly focus!

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:2-3

What have you been thinking about today? Can you see a heavenly perspective in those circumstances? Because there is one. And you don't want to miss it.