Fighting on the front lines, some days will be discouraging. But what a difference it makes to remember that Christ died for us! The thought that Somebody loved us like that can turn us around no matter what ditch the devil has dragged us into.
A positive mental attitude can be helpful, but the critical issue is how we view our own abilities. Determination is fine, but we dare not get to thinking that we ourselves are invincible. It is good to learn “that we should not trust in ourselves.”
As long as the ease and pleasure of the status quo is greater than the discomfort of changing, we don’t change. It’s only when the present has become less pleasurable, or the consequences of not acting have become scary enough, that we finally act.
The Lord is more important than our temporal blessings. And the main measure of whether we have a proper attitude toward these things is how ready we are to let go of them. And I don’t mean “someday” — I mean today, if the need should arise.
Affluence is a challenge. Having all, or even most, of what we want can destroy us spiritually if we don’t face the problem that goes along with satisfied circumstances: the fact that it is much harder to keep God in the right place in our hearts.
If, as a Christian, there is a big difference between your life now and the one you used to have, just wait till you see the difference between now and what you’ll have with God in eternity. What we now enjoy is but a tiny foretaste of eternity.
The idea of eternity is powerful. Some would say our fascination with timeless being is mere curiosity, but I think more is involved. We are attracted to eternity. We long for an existence without the limitations of time. We yearn for immortality.
No one gets to have everything they desire in this world. Each person has some emptiness that never completely goes away. God has placed “eternity in [our] hearts” and given us some needs that, to be quite honest, have no satisfaction in this world.
With regard to what the Lord wants us to do in His work, there is not an unlimited amount of time in which to do that work. Each of us has a window of opportunity, and after that, we will give account for our stewardship of the time given us.
Our lives are to be used not merely for our personal enjoyment but for the Lord’s glory, to accomplish His purposes in this world. I expect the Lord is willing to give a person as many years as it takes to get done what He wants that person to do.
