Have you ever searched for something…for a long time? And after searching for so long, you wonder if you will ever find it? I’m not talking about losing something and trying to recover it. I’m talking about searching for something you don’t currently have but would like to. Maybe it’s a new job. Maybe it’s a new (or “new to you”) car. Maybe it’s a new home.
I think often there is an internal struggle with the search for something “new”. As believers, we often hear messages on contentment and not chasing after the next thing, bigger things, or accumulating more things. So we are tempted to feel guilty for wanting to change or upgrade.
Having something new is not a sin. It’s okay to buy a new car. It’s okay to seek a different job. And it’s okay to look for a new home. The issue resides in the motive. It’s a heart issue. Why do you seek those things?
We get tempted to pour our life into this world that is fading away. But we are cautioned in the Bible not to place our identity in earthly things. People, relationships, government, careers, worldly status. They are all poor substitutes for Christ. Earthly things can never be our Savior. Those things can’t save us. They can’t provide what the Lord can. Those things will always fail us, but the Lord will never fail us.
Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
It is much better to pour our life into things that will never fade and to remember as believers, our identity is in Christ!
Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.”
To “set your mind on the things that are above” is to seek heavenly things. Desire them, love them, and be drawn toward them. What comes to mind when you hear the words, “heavenly things”? I think of heaven itself and how our time in eternity matters more than the temporary and passing pleasures of this world. How we use our time on earth matters, but we should also be mindful of how we are impacting eternity.
If we set our minds on His Word, sharing His Gospel, and doing His work, God will help us to see the things on earth from His perspective. And He will give us His wisdom and guidance as to how we should interact with “the things that are on earth.”
It seems too easy to attach ourselves to temporary things, rather than what is eternal. It’s not that we should never think about things on earth, but these shouldn’t be our main focus or master over us. Desire what is in heaven. And desire what God has for you in heaven!
I am quickly reminded of the song, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” The chorus says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
If the desire is to “go big or go home” with your earthly possessions, perhaps we need to check our motives and ask the Lord to examine our heart.
Big life purchases and decisions often include cars, homes, jobs, getting married, as well as having children. Those major decisions shouldn’t be rash. They should be bathed in prayer, and we should be patient with the Lord’s reply and provision.
There are many components to these major life decisions, many of which are out of your control. Such as when your current home or car sells. What price it ultimately sells for. Whether or not the inspection returns with fair results. Whether or not the bank will approve your loan and offer a decent interest rate. What the seller is willing to negotiate. How the new neighbors will respond to changes you make to your property.
Oftentimes, we receive a gift only to quickly forget the generous Giver and we resort to behaving like spoiled brats. We get distracted, and doubt begins to fester inside us until an ungrateful spirit erupts. We begin to see the bad spots on our gift. Maybe the Lord provided a new home for you, but after awhile your country abode seemed too close to town. You feared the future presence of neighbors encroaching on your wide-open spaces. Maybe you encountered a troublesome neighbor who was unwelcoming after you moved in. Or perhaps your “new” car began having mechanical issues. Before long, the “new” starts to wear off and discontentment settles in.
Once we take our eyes off the things on the earth and set our sights on things above, we start to notice our vision becoming clearer. The Holy Spirit is able to keep our feelings in check and we begin to see the bigger picture. Our surroundings and situation do not seem as bad as we once thought. Unwelcomed changes soon become a nonissue. Conviction sets in, and we find ourselves asking the Lord for forgiveness because we were ungrateful toward His gift and blessing.
The resulting repentance and humility of seeing God’s gifts and blessings unfold, cause us to appreciate what He has provided for us and it renews our love and thanksgiving for Him.
We begin to see neighbors as gifts, and we find new opportunities to be hospitable and share the love of Christ with them. We discover how blessed we truly are, right here, right now. We discover the goodness of our gift that was previously unknown because we were blinded by our earthly desires. Something that can seem so inconvenient becomes a path to new joy and blessing.
God’s plan is often not what we immediately see, until we calm down and be still.
Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
