Soaring the Heights
Today’s Verse:
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. ~Colossians 3:1
The Scottish preacher John McNeill liked to tell about an eagle that had been captured when it was quite young. The farmer who snared the bird put a restraint on it so it couldn’t fly, and then he turned it loose to roam in the barnyard. It wasn’t long till the eagle began to act like the chickens, scratching and pecking at the ground. This bird that once soared high in the heavens seemed satisfied to live the barnyard life of the lowly hen. One day, the farmer was visited by a shepherd who came down from the mountains where the eagles lived. Seeing the eagle, the shepherd said to the farmer, “What a shame to keep that bird hobbled here in your barnyard! Why don’t you let it go?” The farmer agreed, so they cut off the restraint. But the eagle continued to wander around, scratching and pecking as before. The shepherd picked it up and set it on a high stone wall. For the first time in months, the eagle saw the grand expanse of blue sky and the glowing sun. Then it spread its wings, and, with a leap, soared off into a tremendous spiral flight, up and up and up. At last, it was acting like an eagle again.
Are you a Christian scratching around in the dirt when you should be soaring the heights of a God-blessed Christian life? Are you someone satisfied with just trying to get by, or someone who sees the possibilities of a making a difference with your life?
“Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God”! These things are the precious things of Heaven that Moses spoke of (Deuteronomy 33:13), the ordinances of Heaven that Job spoke of (Job 38:33), and the principles of kingdom living that Jesus spoke of (Matthew 5-7).
We are to get our eyes off the earthly things of this life, which will pull us down, push us away, and keep us from living a life that is blessed and wholly used of God.
We must be faithful to the will of God.
Epaphras prayed that the believers in Colossae would stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. The will of God includes keeping ourselves pure (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and maintaining a thankful spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
We must have faith in the work of God.
The faith life is not about how much you can do for Christ, but it is about how much God can do through you. Faith is believing the incredible and asking God to do the impossible. Without faith, it is impossible to please God!
We must be fulfilled in the wisdom of God.
Jesus Christ is made wisdom unto us! He is the sum total of heavenly wisdom! Wisdom cries, “Unto you, O men I call”! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The wisdom of God is putting God first in the equation of all our considerations and decisions.
Seek those things which are above! As an eagle extends its wings, stretch forth your faith, and soar the heights of knowing God and allowing Him to give you a real vision of a life that lives in the heavenlies, and not in the lowly things of earth.
Have a heavenly God morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalm 66-69