Weaned From the Ways of the World: Set Your Hearts on Things Above

A believer’s life should be heaven focused, dominated by the thoughts and patterns of our heavenly home. When we are heavenly focused we get earth thrown in as it gives us heavenly direction and perspective to our earthly duties. Meaning what we do – whatever that might be – we do it as unto the Lord – not for men. Paul writes for us in Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV): “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” Whether we are folding clothes or changing diapers or running a company or teaching a classroom, we are to strive earnestly to doing this “whatever’ as unto the Lord, not for man. We are to keep our eyes fixed upon the Lord Jesus Who has experienced both heaven and earth. He is our Supreme Example as He came to do His Father’s will and we are to center our lives on the ascended Jesus – following His example - for His glory and for our good. Jesus has defeated all the forces of evil and death and believers can depend upon Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to live rightly as well. 

We are often all too concerned with the temporal – the perishing – rather than on the eternal. On what is seen rather than on what is unseen. It behooves us to remember that most of all we see is perishing. Indeed, the only two things presently on this earth that are eternal are the souls of men and the Word of God. Therefore we are wise to invest in these.

John also tells us to be more heavenly focused when he writes in John 2:15-17 (NIV): “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

The least glimpse of the glory of God exalts the soul and helps to wean us from the world and all its covetousness, cares and concerns. This knowledge of God’s glory is both sweet and joyful giving us a view of things that are the most exquisitely beautiful and desirous. This keeps us from worldliness and in all its forms and ways and raises our inclinations toward our heavenly home, turning our hearts to God as our portion. And only with Him is complete sufficiency, strength and power. When God is our portion there is no wanting – it reaches the bottom of our hearts filling them to overflowing and changing the nature of its leanings. We are no longer needy or wanting.  

No mere vague understanding of sweet Jesus will accomplish this. His desire is to be our all in all and everything else is less – so much less. This draws the heart to God and convinces us of all the glorious rewards that God has promised to those who love and obey Him. Remember one never outgives God. Whatever meager sacrifices we may make in the here and now are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to the faithful. In the end it is really no sacrifice at all rather blessing.