Tag: "What does an eternal mindset look like?

“Rather he delights himself in the teachings of the Lord and reflects on His teachings day and night.” Psalm 1

Lonesome Valley

The Carter Family

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

My father’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

My mother’s got to walk that lonesome valley
she’s got to walk it by her self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for her,
she’s got to walk it by her self.

My brother’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

Most sinners got to walk this lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Psalm 1 GOD’S WORD Translation

BOOK ONE

(Psalms 1–41)

1 Blessed is the person who does not
follow the advice of wicked people,
take the path of sinners,
or join the company of mockers.
2 Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord
and reflects on his teachings day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams—
a tree that produces fruit in season
and whose leaves do not wither.
He succeeds in everything he does.[a]

4 Wicked people are not like that.
Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.
5 That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment
and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.

6 The Lord knows the way of righteous people,
but the way of wicked people will end.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Rather He Delights Himself in the Teachings of the Lord.

Right from the start, I look at that word “Rather” and in my Christian frame of mind, I wonder – in whose other teachings would the Psalmist rather delight?

Verse 1 drops the answers into the exact center of our spiritual consciousness:

1 Blessed is the person who does not
follow the advice of wicked people,
take the path of sinners,
or join the company of mockers.

Following the Advice of Wicked People.

Take the Path of Sinners.

Join in the Company of Mockers.

Psalm 1 is called the preamble to the book of Psalms.

That is, it serves as an introduction to the entire book.

What is said in Psalm 1 is relevant to all the rest of the book of Psalms.

Charles Spurgeon viewed it this way:

“The matter of the first Psalm, which may be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon.”

The psalms begin with these words: “Blessed is the man.” In Psalm 1, God addresses man’s most basic question: How can I be happy (blessed) in this life?

Is this true? Does God really want us to be happy?

Absolutely!

And this happiness is not temporary, but perpetual.

The word translated blessed is plural in the original Hebrew.

That is, it means perpetual blessings. It can be read blessedness’s or happiness’s.

So how can I be happy, truly happy?

Not Following the Advice of Wicked People.

Not Taking the Path of Sinners.

Not Joining in the Company of Mockers.

Very wise and very sage advice when spoken with Authority in any age.

  • Join in with the crowds residing within the bounds of the “evils of this age?”
  • Join in with crowds residing within the boundless salvation of Almighty God?

Choosing the directions for our lives, Psalm 1 is called a wisdom psalm because we learn that happiness results from our choice to follow God’s direction of life.

In this psalm the writer sets forth two ways or two directions to choose in life.

One is specifically stated to the right way that leads us to happiness in the Lord, the other is specifically stated to be the wrong way that leads to worldly misery.

The Right Way

Psalm 1:1-3 Amplified Bible

Book One

The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.

1 [a]Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of [b]scoffers (ridiculers).
2 
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.
3 
And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season;
Its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].

The wisdom of Psalm 1 captures a fundamental teaching found in both the Old and New Testaments.

In the writings of the Old Testament God teaches His people that one’s choice of one’s life’s mindset will determine both the direction, the outcome of their life.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Amplified Bible

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore, you shall choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding closely to Him; for He is your life [your good life, your abundant life, your fulfillment] and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord promised (swore) to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Choosing to live one’s life in the 24×7 mindset of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, by obeying His voice and holding closely to Him:

  1. For He IS your life
  2. For He is your GOOD life
  3. He is your ABUNDANT life
  4. He is your FULFILLMENT of life
  5. He is the LENGTH OF OUR DAYS that we may live in the land which the Lord promised (swore, gave an oath to) to give to your fathers and the Patriarchs.

In Matthew’s Narrative of the Gospel,

Jesus’ message to the crowds is to choose the right way in life:

Matthew 7:13-14 Amplified Bible

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.

Choosing the Right Path

First, in Psalm 1:1 we learn that happiness comes by choosing to walk on a righteous path.

This determination is directly connected to other people.

Each line in this verse teaches us to avoid the wrong kinds of interpersonal relationships – our choice of friends make all the difference in our lives.

Notice what this verse says:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.”

Choosing the righteous path includes refusing advice from those who hold godless values and whose moral and ethical choices violate the laws of God.

The second line goes a step further: “nor standeth in the way of sinners.”

It is one thing to listen to wicked counsel.

It is quite another to decisively side and to compromise with that viewpoint.

Instead, the happy person refuses to follow the worldly crowd.

You don’t see him “hanging out” with those who pursue sin as a lifestyle.

Finally, he refuses to sit and associate with those whose conversations mock and curse God: “nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

If you and I want to choose to be miserable, we make our best friends those who are scornful, critical and disrespectful.

The three verbs—walk, stand and sit—show the oily, slippery slope of evil.

Evil is not passive.

It is ever descending.

The longer we go slipping and sliding, the worse we get -as a pattern of evil choices causes a downward spiral in our character that leads to destruction.

Hungering for God’s Word

Second, Psalm 1:2 resoundingly declares happiness comes by developing a strong appetite for God’s Word and NOT Satan’s incessant barrage of lies.

We learn to enjoy the Bible by nurturing the disciplined habit of meditation.

Meditation involves a 24/7—“day and night”—focus on the Scripture.

This means individually, in Koinonia fellowship seeking to better understand the Bible’s true meaning, as well as, its correct application to us personally.

The Spirit of God makes the Word of God satisfying to the soul of man.

The Scriptures are “sweeter than honey” (Psalm 119:103) and “more to be desired [desirable] are they than gold” (Psalm 19:10).

In some contexts the word meditate can be translated growl or groan or moan.

It conveys the idea of muttering.

Perhaps you know someone who walks around mumbling to himself.

We tend to view such behavior as socially odd.

But the reality is that all of us talk to ourselves inside our heads all the time.

There is a mental discussion going on continuously.

Some people simply express parts of their dialogue audibly.

This mental conversation is meditation.

God blesses us as we mull over His words day and night (Psalm 1:2).

The reason this way of life makes one so happy is that is fulfills the purpose for which we were created.

God’s first command to man was to “be fruitful” (Genesis 1:28).

Psalm 1 describes the happy man as being “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

Fruit bearing is the result of deep roots’ finding their way, winding their way, to an abundant supply of nourishment from underground streams of water.

God’s Word is an all-sufficient, eternal supply of empowering grace for all of life – even during difficult, seemingly barren times, the Word will sustain life.

A fruitful life is a blessed life.

So David states that God’s way to happiness is being separated from the world, utterly saturated with the Word, and fruitful and successful in doing God’s will.

The Wrong Way

Psalm 1:4-6 Amplified Bible

4 
The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so,
But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away.
5 
Therefore the wicked will not stand [unpunished] in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 
For the Lord knows and fully approves the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked shall perish.

David goes on in verse 4 to contrast the way of the righteous with the way of the ungodly: “the ungodly are not so.”

Charles Spurgeon makes a powerful point when he notes that the Hebrew proposes a double negative: “‘Not so the ungodly, no so.’ Oh! how terrible is it to have a double negative put upon the promises! and yet this is just the condition of the ungodly.”

Ungodliness will never, never prosper!

In the end ungodly people’s lives are deemed as “chaff.”

In other words, they are deemed pointless, worthless, lifeless and useless.

They will be driven away by the wind of God’s judgment.

They will not dwell with the people of God in the congregation of the righteous (Psalm 1:5).

At the end of the passage, the psalmist sets forth two directions

—the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly;

two decisions—to meditate on God’s Word or to listen to ungodly counsel;

and two destinies—the righteous will enjoy God’s presence forever, but the ungodly will perish.

Psalm 1 The Message

1 How well God must like you—
    you don’t walk in the ruts of those blind-as-bats,
    you don’t stand with the good-for-nothings,
    you don’t take your seat among the know-it-alls.

2-3 Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
    you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
    bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
    always in blossom.

4-5 You’re not at all like the wicked,
    who are mere windblown dust—
Without defense in court,
    unfit company for innocent people.

6 God charts the road you take.
The road they take leads to nowhere.

Lonesome Valley

The Carter Family

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

My father’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

My mother’s got to walk that lonesome valley
she’s got to walk it by her self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for her,
she’s got to walk it by her self.

My brother’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

Most sinners got to walk this lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Choosing This Day Your Path Unto True Happiness?
About You Discovering Your Path to True Happiness?
About You Walking On Your Path to True Happiness?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Lord, we ask that you will make us a blessed people who do not walk in the wicked’s counsel, stand in the sinners’s way, or sit in the scoffers’s seat, but who find such delight in your instruction that it is always on our hearts, minds, and lips. 

Make us like a well-watered tree, nurtured to bear fruit and prosperous in all you give us to do.  Keep us from being like those who oppose you.  Their plans have the appearance of wisdom, but will ultimately come to nothing when you come to weigh and measure human works. 

We trust you and know that your judgment is always righteous.  Thank you for showing us your path—the path that leads to life—in your Word and through your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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“Come Holy Spirit, and Gift Unto Us a Prayer to Live With Eternity in Mind” Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

“Faith and love are apt to be spasmodic in the best of minds. Men and women live on the brink of mysteries and harmonies into which they never enter, and with their hand on the door latch, they die outside.” ~ Christian Apologist, G. K. Chesterton

When I read and re-read this quote from Chesterton today on my Facebook feed yesterday, as I closed out the activities for my 62nd Birthday, it reminded me of that passage in Ecclesiastes, a passage that said God “put eternity in our hearts.”

All the while I was in my Mother’s womb, God weaved “eternity into my heart.”

Somewhere, somehow, God, my Creator, weaved “eternity deep into my DNA.”

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 English Standard Version

The God-Given Task

9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

“Faith and love are apt to be spasmodic in the best of minds. Men and women live on the brink of mysteries and harmonies into which they never enter, and with their hand on the door latch, they die outside.” ~ Christian Apologist, G. K. Chesterton

When I read and re-read this quote from Chesterton today on my Facebook feed yesterday, as I closed out the activities for my 62nd Birthday, it reminded me of that passage in Ecclesiastes, a passage that said God “put eternity in our hearts.”

All the while I was in my Mother’s womb, God weaved “eternity into my heart.”

Somewhere, somehow, God, my Creator, weaved “eternity deep into my DNA.”

Because God did this to me and for me, before I was even aware, of God, I can never shake the irrepressible feeling deep within my soul that there absolutely has to be something infinitely more waiting for me in eternity than in this life.

Collectively, in our response to this inner sense of eternity, we can and often do spend our lives either unaware of it, denying it, sidestepping it, fleeing from it, or attempting to resolve it without the assistance of the One who placed it there.

And this only leaves only leaves us in that empty space we call “wanting more.”

What we are called to do instead is turn to the One of whom it is said, “from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36)(ESV).

Romans 11:33-36 English Standard Version

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

We turn to the only One in whom we find our origin, our purpose, our destiny.

We can know the only One who holds for each of His Children, in His righteous right hand, the indescribable feeling for eternity that He placed in our hearts.

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)(ESV).

Jesus said, unto his disciples a day before he died;

John 14:25-27 The Message

25-27 “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.

This is the only path that will satisfy that nagging sense of greater things and the only path that leads us all to both reconciliation and an eternity with God.

The Gift of A Prayer to Live with Eternity in Mind

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 The Message

16-18 So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

Eternity is a simple word but a complex concept.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.”

  • We waited in line for something relatively inconsequential for an eternity.
  • We are waiting for the blessed announcement of a baby being born.
  • We are waiting for the announcement that someone has passed away.
  • We are waiting for the arrival of family on Christmas or Easter Day.
  • We are waiting for laboratory and radiology test results to be read.
  • We are waiting for the bank to approve our very first Mortgage.
  • We think spring will never come; winter has lasted for an eternity.
  • We have a vacation planned for only a few weeks away, but it feels like an eternity on the calendar.
  • We are waiting for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to Return – “as promised.”

The undeniable reality is that, as humans, we cannot truly fathom eternity.

We know that God has provided eternal life to those who trust in His Son Jesus, but our understanding of the weight of eternity is beyond our comprehension.

Recently, I have come across numerous sermon series, devotional articles, and books, social media posts encouraging believers to live with eternity in mind.

But what exactly does that mean? 

Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever (NLT).”

Life in a fallen world is tough; there’s no escaping the effects of sin in our lives.

But, we can shift our priorities, our mindsets our perspective, focusing on the things that matter to God (the eternal) and sacrificing ourselves, surrendering ourselves, letting go of those things that don’t matter (the things of this world).

Romans 12:1-2 The Message
Place Your Life Before God

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

As one of my favorite preachers sermonized, “preaches easy, lives hard.”  

We are ever so easily, quickly distracted, discouraged, and disillusioned daily.

It is impossibly challenging to “keep on persevering, keep on pushing forward in our faith, and remain steadfast and immovable always abounding in God’s work.”

The world’s message is “live your best life now,” but God’s word preaches us so utterly and radically different, stating “your forever life is yet to come.”

If we back up a verse to 2 Corinthians 4:17, Apostle Paul again reminds us,

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”  

What we are experiencing today will one day come to an end.

Even if the season of steadfast and immovable sorrow drags on forever or your difficult circumstances continue to stay the same day after day, God will still make everyone and everything new one day – and in this new world, His eternal kingdom, there will be no more tears and pain – Just LIFE (Revelation 21:1-4).

I am not sure what anyone of you readers are going through today but PLEASE be ENCOURAGED, be EMPOWERED and take heart; God sees and cares for you.

Psalm 121 The Message

121 1-2 I look up to the mountains;
    does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

3-4 He won’t let you stumble,
    your Guardian God won’t fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel’s
    Guardian will never doze or sleep.

5-6 God’s your Guardian,
    right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
    sheltering you from moonstroke.

7-8 God guards you from every evil,
    he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
    he guards you now, he guards you always.

On this side of Heaven, you may continue to experience the consequences of sin, but please be INSPIRED, be an INSPIRATION, God’s great mercy provided a way for all His Children to have eternal peace through salvation in Christ Jesus.

Be the ENCOURAGER, Pray, Cling, to the eternal hope we have in our salvation, and let the presence of the Holy Spirit fill you as you live with eternity in mind.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being a God who cares about our burdens. We know that you are God who sees and hears the cries and prayers of your children. Help us to live with eternity in mind. Blessed Intercessor Holy Spirit of God, We pray fervently you will Be with us as we strive to focus more on the eternal, shifting our perspective from temporary things that distract us from living a life for Your glory alone. Forgive us when we sin against you, and be with us as we pursue holiness.

We love you, Lord; we are undeserving of your grace and mercy but thankful that you freely grant us both. We ask that you strengthen and help us as we share the Gospel in a broken world. Guide our conversations, and direct our paths to those who need to experience the eternal hope of salvation through Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ Name.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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How Can We Have an Eternal Mindset Here on Earth? 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Lately, I have been thinking a whole lot about delayed gratification.

As in, doing now, in the immediate what will hopefully, if correctly planned for will pay off later, versus what only feels good or is easy in the exact moment.

It’s a great concept, right?

Living with an eye on the future, and planning and making choices that will result in a positive outcome a few months or even years down the road (while also avoiding a negative outcome).

But, that kind of advanced planning is not always so very simple to do.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 English Standard Version

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self[a] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 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.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Lately, I have been thinking a whole lot about delayed gratification.

As in, doing now, in the immediate what will hopefully, if correctly planned for will pay off later, versus what only feels good or is easy in the exact moment.

It’s a great concept, right?

Living with an eye on the future, and planning and making choices that will result in a positive outcome a few months or even years down the road (while also avoiding a negative outcome).

But, that kind of advanced planning is not always so very simple to do.

For example,

I’ve been trying for quite a while to control my stubborn blood sugar.

I know that the key is to keep my eye on the prize, and remember that what I do today will affect how I feel (how well me and my body will function) tomorrow.

It’s not easy, but that’s what I need to remember!

Because otherwise, what’s to keep me from just binging on chocolate lava cakes all day on my birthday, with zero regard to the outcome on my bodily systems?

Likewise, we should have the same thought process with regards to eternity (that is, life after death).

We focus so very much on the here and now—this short life on earth—and yet eternity is so much longer!

But because it always seems to be so far off, it’s easier put it on the back burner…as in, “I’ll worry about that later. Today, I have too much to do!”

Except, that time and place called eternity – It’s not that far off though, is it?

Not one of us knows exactly how long we will live, or when Jesus will return, or anything that the future holds.

How Do I Set My Mind On Things Above?

But, you might ask, what does it actually mean to actually have an eternal perspective?

And how do we do that?

I think it boils down to the HOPE of heaven.

In this life, even the seemingly wonderful things (like money or fame), will eventually lead to a grave full of freezing cold emptiness.

God is all about LOVE … so if we want to discipline ourselves to focus on having an eternal perspective, we have to focus on the God who is Love (1 John 4:7-11).

What is an eternal mindset?

And is this something we can, or should, have while living here on this earth?

This devotional effort will explore these two questions, as well as how we can develop an eternal mindset.

What Is an Eternal Mindset?

Merriam-Webster defines mindset as “a mental attitude or inclination.”

It is what we think about something or what our attitude is regarding it.

I have a particular financial and political mindset, an environmental mindset, a brother and sister mindset, a husband and a step parent/grandparent mindset, and many more – and all of those mindsets are all reflected in how I live my life.

Eternal is a word used in a few different ways in the Scripture.

Most commonly, it is part of the expression “eternal life.”

We often think of this as life without end, and it does involve that.

But Jesus defines eternal life as a relationship.

It is knowing God the Father and Jesus his Son (John 17:3).

But here in 2 Corinthians 4:18, Paul uses the word in a very different sense.

He tells us, “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Eternal has the connotation of unending existence.

But it is infinitely more than that.

Here Paul is referring to the unseen realm.

What is unseen is eternal, while what we can see with our earthly eyes is only temporary.

This verse is key to understanding what an eternal mindset is.

The whole verse says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

An eternal mindset is a mind focused on the unseen realm, on things above rather than on the outward and subject to rust temporary things of this life.

It is a mindset that understands the physical world is not all there is.

There is a greater reality that is unknowable to our human senses.

This greater reality, particularly the kingdom of God, is revealed to us in the Scripture and seen through the eyes of faith.

Hebrews 11:1-3 English Standard Version

By Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

An eternal mindset keeps the kingdom of God front and center in all one does.

Is This Something That We Should Have?

So, is having an eternal mindset something that is expected of all believers?

The passage quoted above from 2 Corinthians 4:18 answers this question in the affirmative.

Apostle Paul expressed that his eyes were fixed on the unseen, the eternal.

Paul used inclusive terminology in this verse: “we fix our eyes.”

The implication is that this should be true for all believers, not just a select few.

This is reinforced by passages like Colossians 3:1-2, where we are told to set our hearts and minds on things above.

Put On the New Self

3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

In Hebrews 3:1-2, we are told to fix our thoughts on Jesus.

Jesus Greater Than Moses

3 Therefore, holy brothers,[a] you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s[b] house.

And Hebrews 12:1-2, where we are instructed to fix our eyes on Jesus.

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,  who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is not something we are to do only on Sunday mornings, but we should all learn to discipline ourselves to focus our lives on Jesus and things above the rest of the days, weeks months, regardless of where we are and what we are doing.

In 1 Corinthians 7:29-31,

29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

Paul tells us that the time is short, and this world is passing away.

So, even as we live in this world, we should not be engrossed in it.

Live in the now.

But keep your hope fixed on what lies ahead, on the eternal.

Don’t let your activities here distract you from the eternal.

What Does an Eternal Mindset Look Like?

We often call the eleventh chapter of Hebrews the Hall of Faith.

This chapter recalls many people from the Old Testament who, by faith, did something extraordinary with their lives which called the author to write it

But this is more than just a roll call of people who lived by faith.

Hebrews 11:9-10 says of Abraham, “By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

Hebrews 11:13-16 develops this idea further, showing that these people acted in faith because they looked forward to something beyond this life.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

They each had a mindset that was disciplined and focused upon the life that awaited them beyond the grave, an eternal mindset.

Peter also identifies us as foreigners in this world (1 Peter 1:17; 2:11) and urges us to live that way.

We should never forget our citizenship is as members of the kingdom of God.

While we live in this world, we are to be distinct from it.

Living, not solely to satisfy our temporary desires, but living in a much more disciplined way that will please our heavenly Father.

But this does not mean that we ignore the world we live in, being so heavenly-minded that we are no earthly good.

We still need to work to support ourselves and our families.

We need to care for what God has blessed us with.

We need to relate to the people around us.

And we should be looking to make this world a better place.

But while we do those things, we should always keep sight of whose we are and the future God has prepared for us.

Living a life of faith, trusting God to care for us and bring us safely to that heavenly city without foundations that Abraham was looking forward to.

Our time here is short.

And as we live here, we should hold loosely to the things of this world.

Using them, but not placing great value on them (1 Corinthians 7:31).

Our security should not be in our possessions or any earthly institution.

Instead, it should be in the Lord who is preparing us for our eternal home.

We should also not become overwhelmingly discouraged when life gets hard, or the world seems to be steadily descending into the abysses of chaos and evil.

Instead, trust God with your life (Philippians 4:6-7) and seek to live a holy life (1 Peter 1:15-16) of love (1 John 4:10-11).

How Can We Develop an Eternal Mindset?

The Scripture teaches us that an eternal mindset is appropriate for all believers.

But what does it take to develop a mindset that looks into the future rather than being wrapped up in the subject to rust temporary things of this life?

Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12-14 can help us with this.

Straining Toward the Goal

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

He expressed that he had not yet reached his goal of Christlikeness, but he was straining and striving toward that.

He was not living in the past.

Instead, he was “straining toward what was ahead, pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called him heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

There are three aspects to what Paul has to say here.

First, he had a goal.

His goal was to become like Christ.

If we want to develop an eternal mindset, it needs to be our primary goal.

It will not happen by accident.

Nor can your goal be just a wish.

It needs to be something that we will actively pursue.

Second, we need to let go of anything that would interfere with reaching that goal.

For Paul, that was thoroughly giving up, surrendering the past, his heritage, training, accomplishments, and plans for what he originally wanted to become.

We each may have different things we need to leave in our past, things that hold us back – but whatever it may be, we need to make the sacrifice, leave it behind.

And finally, Paul was striving toward his goal.

He knew what he wanted to become.

And he was working at it with all that he was.

I will not develop an eternal mindset just by wishing for it.

Nor by investing a only a few hours a week.

It is a commitment of your whole life in pursuit of the goal.

That includes a commitment to spending time reading the Bible and making its teaching a part of your life.

Time should also be spent in prayer and communion with our heavenly Father, in fellowship with other believers, actively involved in the life of a local church.

These disciplines should take highest priority over many of the activities we might otherwise be engaged in.

Rabbi Jesus illustrates this for us with his parable of the pearl of great price in 

Matthew 13:45-46.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Here a merchant sold everything he had to purchase a pearl of great value.

He gave up all he had to have this pearl.

And that is what we need to do.

Give up everything we have to obtain the life that God has called us to.

The development of an eternal mindset is something that we can only do with the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 1:17-19 might be considered a prayer for an eternal mindset:

having spiritual eyes open to the hope we have in Christ, recognizing God’s inheritance in the saints, and knowing his power at work for us who believe.

Benefits of Keeping an Eternal Mindset

For me, it was a strong desire to be assured a place in heaven, that first led me to repentance and a relationship with Jesus. (Okay, fear of judgement and not wanting to go to hell might be more accurate).

In the years since, I have tasted and seen that God is good (Psalm 34:8),

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

and I’ve lived the blessings of developing an eternal perspective on life.

But still, it’s not always easy to keep up that eternal mindset in the face of distractions and shiny things of this world!

However, it’s so worth it.

Let’s explore just a few benefits of fixing our eyes on the “prize” of heaven…

1) Eternity Reminds Us To Seek God’s Kingdom FIRST.

First and foremost, an eternal mindset will help us to keep the #1 thing the #1 thing.

And that #1 thing is God’s kingdom—specifically, Jesus’ charge to us, to share the good news.

While we look forward to eternity, we know there are still many people who don’t know Jesus, and thus do not have that same hope.

We need to keep a kingdom mindset, and to share the hope we have in Jesus.

1 Peter 3:14-16English Standard Version

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16  having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

2) Eternity Helps Us Weather The Storms Of Life!

In the midst of trials, the thought of spending eternity with God (where there will be no more tears, pain, or death—Revelation 21:4), makes our struggles seem much smaller.

This life may sometimes seem long and full of pain, but it’s just a blip on the radar on comparison to eternity.

It really does help to set your mind on Jesus!

After all, it was Jesus who said this: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

3) Eternity Causes Us To Focus On Things That Really Matter.

Loving God, and loving our neighbors… Celebrating God and celebrating our neighbors – it’s what we did in LOVE that we will all carry with us into eternity (and, that will prayerfully stay with our loved ones who are still on earth too).

In the context of eternity and building up treasures of love, does that argument really matter?

Is it really important to gain promotions, if it takes us away from our family?

I could go on, but I believe you get the idea.

4) Eternity Causes Us To Invest In Heavenly Things!

Like a 5-year-old kid who you’re already saving for college for, and a 12-year-old already thinking about scholarships and GPA’s, it’s good to consider life as prep school for heaven.

How are we investing our time and our talents today?

Just imagine, when you get to heaven, you meet all the people you led to Jesus, all the folks who were hungry and you gave them a meal and something to drink or if you are a teacher all the students you taught, or the people you encouraged.

The people and purposes you choose to invest in MATTER.

Every day we should strive to discipline ourselves to remember, that the things of this world are like cheap baubles: they look amazing at first, but after a while, the glitter will gradually flake off, rhinestones fall out, they’ll lose their luster.

In contrast, eternal things are like real diamonds and gold. 

By keeping an eternal mindset, we can store up for ourselves our treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), and along the long concourse of our lives, prevent ourselves from being continually deceived by the false lure of earthly things.

Being heavenly-minded makes a person more mindful and fruitful for Christ and provides a place of peace for self and others amid the chaos of the world.

Those who are disciplined and focused on eternity are significantly far more impactful for Christ than those who get caught up in the things of the world.

In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Father God, it is too easy to get caught up in the baubles of mundane of natural living. Sometimes we only see what is around the next corner. We need the Holy Spirit to lift our perspective so we can see things from heaven’s perspective. Thy Holy Spirit reminds us of the long view. Ultimately, we in faith believe that Jesus will one day return in triumph and the victory will be totally ours. Let this prayer reminds us of this immutable truth and let us ask thy Holy Spirit to calibrate and recalibrate our perspective. If this prayer ministers to you, then please share it with all your friends.

Intercessory Holy Spirit, I pray you will set my mind on heavenly things and help me to see more from a heavenly perspective than an earthly one. This should be natural for a person that is living in God by living in Christ. You are teaching me to rule and reign with my Savior and King Jesus. One day I will appear with Him in the sky. Prepare me for that day now. Develop the mindset of heaven in me in Jesus name,

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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