Things From Above

Things from above

Wednesday April 13, 2005

Col.3:1-3

With all of the distractions…dating, marriage, work, school, kids, life…its hard to keep your focus on the things that are truly important.

We have been talking about the word of God, and the importance of our focus on that lately. The condition of your heart, and applying the word to walk in victory.

Now we are going to go deeper.

For where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What ever your focus is on in life, that is what you will want to talk about. If it is on your career…your aspirations…your goals…whatever is truly the focus, will come out.

It is time for us as soldiers in the army of God, to look up to our commander in chief, and set our affection on the things that he has in store for us, not on what we are trying to earn or do here on earth.

We spend far too much time seeking our own desires, and not the desires of God in our lives.

How many of you know, when you work with wood, if you cut with the grain it is much easier. And if you glue the joints up on a table with the grain going the same direction, it holds much stronger. We have been working against the grain of God in our lives for far too long. It is time for us to start flowing with the grain of God.

When we try to do things on our own, and serve ourselves, we are working against the grain of God. This is what is called being carnally minded.

The bible tells us in Romans 8:6 to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.8 So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

When you are in the flesh, trying to satisfy your carnal desires, you are not pleasing God.

Because when you try to please self-self becomes God. And The God that we serve is a Jealous God, and in fact the bible tells us that his name is jealous. Any thing that you put before God becomes a God to you.

Most of the people get so busy trying to make a living, that they forget to enjoy their lives. If you spend more of your time thinking about work, and how miserable it makes you, than you do thinking about God, you need to start looking for a new job, and start giving more time to God.

Your work, or job is just a means that God has given to you for you to serve him with. Your life was not meant to revolve around it. Your purpose in life is much greater than that.

Television is another thing that people will often make as their God. If all you do is watch the tube, before long, you will be focused on a precise schedule of whats on next? This thing is for entertainment, not to base your life around. If you spend more time watching t.v. than in conversation with God, it is your God. Anything that you put in front of God, is your God.

That is why the scripture tells us to seek those things that are above. Matt. 6:24 No man can serve 2 masters, for he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other.

Ex. 34:14 Thou shall worship no other God, for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. The 1st of the 10 commandments that were given to Moses was this

Dt. 4:24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

He is the almighty God, the everlasting God, The I AM, the God, of Glory and the God of truth, The Lord God omnipotent, the king of kings and lord of lords, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the true and living God, and he is Jealous-he alone is worthy to be praised.

The very purpose of our existence upon this earth is to worship God in all that we do. Worship is not just during the music session at the beginning of church service, worship is a lifestyle. Worship is seeking God, and his will in our lives at all times.

Mark 12:30 Love the lord God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind, and with all of your strength.

The deepest level of worship that we can be involved in in life, is when you can praise god in spite of your pain, when you can thank him during a trial, when you can trust him when you are tempted, when you can surrender while you are suffering, and when you can still love him when he seems distant.