June 15, 2019 SEEING THE UNSEEN
2 Corinthians 4:18 “while we look not at the things which are not seen, but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
Many make decisions and live their lives based on the temporal instead of the eternal. We may have a difficult time accepting the fact that what is unseen is actually has a greater importance than what we see with the eye; yet the temporal easily becomes our focus so it seems. The scriptures make it abundantly clear that there is much more out there than what we see in the natural. The key question for us is where is our focus in life-on the here and now, or on the eternal-the things unseen. As we read the word of God and as we understand His ways a little better, we discover a principle that helps us understand His word. Throughout the scriptures, we see that the natural precedes the spiritual; the natural is a picture of, or portrays the spiritual. For example, the children of Israel entering the land of Canaan in the Old Testament is a picture of the believer entering into the abundant life we have in Christ. It’s important that we do not settle in on the natural, but seek the eternal truths. Throughout the word of God we find the word ‘faith.’ The very essence of faith is believing in something we do not see with the natural eye, but with our spiritual eyes. Hebrews 11:1 gives a great definition of faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Let us do just what Colossians 3:2 instructs us to do: “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.” And let us remember that this temporal world-the houses, the cars, the computers, the bank accounts, and all of this world system will pass away, but the things of God and His kingdom are eternal-they will never pass away. Just to name a few, here are some of the truths that will always be: God is eternal; Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of all who trust Him; Jesus is preparing a place in heaven for His followers; God is a good God and a God of love; God’s commands are good and have eternal consequences; and we have been adopted into the family of God and given new identities. When we walk in His ways, we are doing what has eternal value. When we forgive one another, love one another, prefer one another, when we bless, when we pray, when we express the love of God, when we think like God would have us think and respond like He would have us respond, and when we take to heart His commands, we are doing the things that have eternal value. We live in the temporal world and have to take care of the physical responsibilities, but we are spiritual beings if we belong to God, and we can do all we do with a view toward the eternal. Let our lives be lived in a sure and steadfast faith in God, knowing that what we do not see with our eyes is much greater that what we do see with the eye.
Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Corinthians 4:18 “while we look not at the things which are not seen, but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him.”
Many make decisions and live their lives based on the temporal instead of the eternal. We may have a difficult time accepting the fact that what is unseen is actually has a greater importance than what we see with the eye; yet the temporal easily becomes our focus so it seems. The scriptures make it abundantly clear that there is much more out there than what we see in the natural. The key question for us is where is our focus in life-on the here and now, or on the eternal-the things unseen. As we read the word of God and as we understand His ways a little better, we discover a principle that helps us understand His word. Throughout the scriptures, we see that the natural precedes the spiritual; the natural is a picture of, or portrays the spiritual. For example, the children of Israel entering the land of Canaan in the Old Testament is a picture of the believer entering into the abundant life we have in Christ. It’s important that we do not settle in on the natural, but seek the eternal truths. Throughout the word of God we find the word ‘faith.’ The very essence of faith is believing in something we do not see with the natural eye, but with our spiritual eyes. Hebrews 11:1 gives a great definition of faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Let us do just what Colossians 3:2 instructs us to do: “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.” And let us remember that this temporal world-the houses, the cars, the computers, the bank accounts, and all of this world system will pass away, but the things of God and His kingdom are eternal-they will never pass away. Just to name a few, here are some of the truths that will always be: God is eternal; Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of all who trust Him; Jesus is preparing a place in heaven for His followers; God is a good God and a God of love; God’s commands are good and have eternal consequences; and we have been adopted into the family of God and given new identities. When we walk in His ways, we are doing what has eternal value. When we forgive one another, love one another, prefer one another, when we bless, when we pray, when we express the love of God, when we think like God would have us think and respond like He would have us respond, and when we take to heart His commands, we are doing the things that have eternal value. We live in the temporal world and have to take care of the physical responsibilities, but we are spiritual beings if we belong to God, and we can do all we do with a view toward the eternal. Let our lives be lived in a sure and steadfast faith in God, knowing that what we do not see with our eyes is much greater that what we do see with the eye.
Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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