Where Is Your Perspective?
There is an issue with the Christian mindset, and one that I must confess I have fallen into as well. The issue is that from the moment that we are saved, we tend to not give eternity another thought. We know that we are saved and will one day be with the Lord, but we fail to see that our actions now will reflect upon us for eternity. We have a habit of getting caught up in this world, we want to live all that life has to offer, we want money, security, and our desires fulfilled. So we act as if we have all the time in the world. We end up saying “Oh I’ll get around to helping out in the church when my weekends aren’t so busy” or “ Oh I’ll witness to them later”. The fact is, we are not promised tomorrow.
“13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
James 4:13-15
As human beings, we act like we will live forever. We don’t realize how fleeting our life is and so we are constantly making plans for what we are going to be doing in a week, a year, ten years, or thirty years. For Christians, we will live forever, but not on this earth and so we need to correct our mindset to be eternally conscious.
To live with an eternity conscious mindset is a signal of a maturing Christian; instead of being distracted by the stresses of this world, these Christians are instead focusing on the characteristics and qualities of God. Instead of being at home and comfortable in this world they are uneasy and feel like a stranger. And that is because they are. When your mindset changes from being focused on this world to being focused on God and His plans, you start to imitate Him more and therefore belong less and less to this world. “19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” John 15:19
In fact, the Christians that keep their focus on eternity begin to adopt God’s attitude toward the world. “25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 15:25. What this verse is talking about is not easy to digest. In short, this verse is describing that those who live for this world, who love being a part of such a sinful world will lose their life and all their riches they have gained here. For those who hate being a part of this world, those who keep an eternity mindset, will keep their life. There is another verse that describes this perfectly, “19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20. For those who are living as part of this world are only gaining riches that will ultimately be stolen or destroyed, they are focusing on material aspects of this life. For those who are standing apart from this world and instead imitating Christ, their riches will not be found here nor will they be destroyed or stolen.
There is one fact that I do want to point out, to live with an eternal mindset does not mean to hate the creation of this world. We were all created by God and God loves us all. The difference between someone who loves their life in this world and someone who is a part from it but loves all of God’s creation is that for the person with the eternal mindset they hate the evil world system that is present. There is much that is going on today that goes against what God would desire, for the Christian we need to be standing for what is right which often times puts us at odds with the world. Those who are comfortable in this world will seek to bring these evil aspects into the Church. The Apostle John describes this point perfectly, “15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16. We are called to love God’s creation, but not love the world system that allows so much evil to be done. For those who are comfortable with this world, they are not showing God’s love because they are allowing individuals to continue down the path of unrighteousness.
How can we prevent ourselves from becoming comfortable in the world system? The answer is found in Philippians 4:8, “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Instead of conforming to the ideas of this world, we need to keep our minds on what is righteous and pure. This is how we can be triumphant in this world, we are living with a continuous eternal mindset.
One final test to see if you are living with a worldly mindset or one that is focus on eternity is your view of the Lord’s return. For those who are comfortable in this world, they either could care less if He comes or not or they do not want Him to come at all. When asked about the Lord’s return, these people will often add a “but” to wanting the Lord to return, “I want the Lord to return but not until I get married”, “I want the Lord to return but not until I see my grandkids grown”. These type of statements show individuals who are focused on what this world has to offer. They are forgetting that what God offers is so much more. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
The Bible is filled with examples of those who have an eternal mindset. One such example is Paul, “23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” Philippians 1:23-24. Paul understood that even though he wished to be with the Lord, there was still work that needed to be done on this earth, meaning in short that there were many who needed to hear the Gospel a fact that has not changed today. I urge you all to be like Paul, don’t wait until a later date to do what God has planned for you to do now. Do not be like this world, keep your focus instead on the promises of God.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex