Devotions this week based on the Message: “BELIEVE: Week 10: Eternity”
(NOTE: This sermon series and devotional series is based on a book by Randy Frazee entitled, “BELIEVE.”
You may choose to download or purchase the book as a supplement to your worship and devotional emails.)
It’s Black Friday.
Perhaps the days of getting up early to stand in lines before a store open to get the doorbuster deals are over as you can sit in your living room and buy the same thing on line while watching the football game and have it delivered by the weekend.
Perhaps the days of a 2” stack of newspaper ads sitting on the coffee table for the family to flip through to determine their Black Friday shopping route have given way to scrolling deals on your phone as you sit around the coffee table.
Perhaps the way we shop on Black Friday has changed, but more people than not will buy something today.
I’ve always found it a bit ironic that we have a day of Thanksgiving and gratitude for what we have only to be quickly followed by outright encouragement to buy more.
In spite of this irony, I’ve been out in the crowds of Black Friday. Some deals are just too good to pass up!
However, I have to remind myself of a few things if I am “Always Living In View of Eternity”:
- Material things are temporary; Spiritual things are eternal.
Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19 ).
With more enthusiasm than finding a Black Friday deal, God wants us to find the treasures he’s given to us in the pages of his Word. Anything you buy today will not transmit to heaven, but the faith you strengthen and nurture today will go with you into eternity. Any deal you get today is not as valuable as the gift of grace and forgiveness God has given you for FREE! Enjoy the blessings God has given to you materially, but put your focus and emphasis to store many more spiritual treasures than earthly treasures!
- Remember heaven is your home!
Many of the deals on Black Friday serve to enhance our home with gadgets, gizmos, or time saving mechanisms. Again nothing inherently wrong with these and they can certainly enhance our life on this earth.
But heaven will never be on earth and earth will never be heaven. So don’t forget where your eternal home is…in heaven. Again, we can enjoy the homes God has blessed us with and enjoy decorating them with things we buy, but never forget that all this is temporary and not our eternal home. As much as we buy, as many conveniences as we have, we will never create heaven on earth.
Only God can create heaven in heaven…and he has for you and me to enjoy. That is our home and that is what we have to look forward to because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Here’s what we have to look forward to:
Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Live today, Black Friday, in view of Good Friday and remember that no matter what deal you find today, the greatest deal you could ever find was the gift of forgiveness given to you to secure an eternity for you.
Apply: How can you spend more time, energy, or effort storing up treasures in heaven?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for securing my eternity through the life, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. Lead me to always live in view of eternity so that I keep all things temporal in proper perspective! AMEN