Let Heaven Fill Your Thoughts

Let Heaven Fill Your Thoughts

Reading: 1 Kings 20-21; 2 Chronicles 17; Colossians 3 1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Colossians 3:1-4 NLT) Actually, in the everydayness of life, it’s hard to consistently think very much about heaven. Life is busy and full and demanding and heaven seems so ethereal and distant! I know heaven is real, I know it’s good, and I know it’s my eternal home. I know heaven will be home to all the people of all the ages who have embraced and will embrace God’s redemptive revelation in Christ. I know heaven is going to last much longer than ‘here and now,’ but ‘here and now’ is so demanding of my time and my energy and my attention! As usual, Summer has sort of suddenly arrived in the high desert of Central Oregon. That means sprinklers to repair, the lawn to mow, weeds to pull. We’re planning to make a brief trip out of town soon. That means getting the car ready, chores to do in preparation, arrangements to make…you know the drill! And then there’s bills to pay, and appointments to keep, and people to see. The “here and now” is so demanding of my attention, I often tend to let the realities of heaven gather dust on the shelf. You know, it’s actually easier to think about heaven when I’m at a funeral, or when someone close is very ill, or when I’m facing life’s greatest challenges. I mean, I know it’ll be there when I need it! I’m betting my eternal life on it! But Paul reminded me today that if I let heaven fill my thoughts, I’ll make better everyday choices, live a more other-centered life, and actually do much better with the “here and now.” Prayer: Father, I think too much and too often about the things Paul cautioned us not to take so seriously, and too little and too seldom about the things that really matter. Help me to adjust my thinking priorities without having to be sick or broke or at a funeral. I purpose to quiet myself more often and let heaven fill my thoughts. May I live each day of the ‘here and now’ in the light that radiates from Heaven. Amen.