What Future Are You Expecting?
Good Morning Friends,
God does not want us to waste our lives away. He wants us to live every day of our lives with a purpose and a great return on investment. He wants us to turn our lives over in faith. What Future Are You Expecting?
Scripture: Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 (NRSV)
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44-46 (NRSV)
Message: The goal… the desire we are to have, as followers of Jesus, is to invest our time wisely in a relationship with God. Moses prayed that God would show him His glory. David confessed that like the deer pants for water at a brook, his soul pants for God. Paul, in today’s scripture says that his heart longs to know God and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of the heavenly call. Friends, the greatest desire we are to have is to know God. And that is the best investment we will ever make. Paul had all the religious qualifications of the day but did not know God until he met Jesus. Paul’s life was given a new future when God revealed himself to Paul on the road to Damascus. In Christ, the old things passed away. Christ’s power enabled him to experience God in a transformative way. This same powder can change our lives as well. So think about what it means to be in a relationship with Jesus. Be honest. Self-reflection is not easy, we are so needy, but it is necessary to move forward in the faith toward the goal. So move from anticipation to knowledge to ministry and a relationship of love. God has promised a blessing for those that do. We have the promise that God will reward us for hard work done for God’s glory. Scripture tells us that we will be blessed by fasting and praying, by enduring difficulties and loving even our enemies. It also tells us that helping the vulnerable and offering hospitality to those who cannot return it will be rewarded. No our transformation may not be as dramatic as Paul’s and no we may not know exactly what to expect of the future but this we do know, if we expect a miracle that glorifies God we will receive a blessing. All in faithfulness in Jesus will be rewarded and sometimes in surprising ways. God tells us we will be rewarded, so go all out in living your life believing that the best investment we will ever make is to have a relationship with God. Knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior and serving him as our Lord is worth any cost, because nothing is of greater value. God knows what you are really expecting. Are you all in?
Pray that we count all things to be a loss that are not worthy of witness to God. Pray that what started at the cross is sanctified in our lives. Pray that we embrace not the power of the world, but the power of knowing the resurrected Christ. Pray that we claim the prize….knowing what it is like to live resurrected lives. Pray that when we go through trials we draw closer to God. Pray that we gain new perspective….pray that we claim our citizenship in heaven as part of His Kingdom. Pray that we keep focused on the goal embracing the miracle of life and love. Pray we make the best uses of the choices we have. Pray we trust Jesus to guide us. Pray we follow in faith. Pray we invest in the only thing that will last.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 