Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you will perish;
You have destroyed all those
who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.
(Psalm 73:25-28)
I love these verses. They display such heartfelt devotion to, dependence on, and satisfaction in God. When I read them, my heart says "Yes! So it is with me!", and in that moment the beauty and truth of the words resonate with my soul. It is a transient thing, however. Reality, or rather what we see as reality, soon interferes. When I get up from my reading, I am distracted by a thousand silly thoughts and worries. How can this be, when I know in my heart of hearts that He is all that I need, and the only One Who can complete me and keep me? How fickle is my devotion.
And this "reality" that steals my heat and mind away; how real is it? It is only the world, the flesh, and the devil, interrupting my mindfulness of some wonderful truths. Indeed, whom have I in Heaven, or on earth, but God? Who has more worth, or value, or is more deserving of my praise and trust? I know that my flesh, this body, this heartbeat of mine, will ultimately fail me. But He will raise me up, and keep me forever.
Can we really be "too Heavenly minded" to be "any earthly good?" I don't think so. Keeping our minds on things above, whatever is true, lovely and pure, hiding God's word in our hearts, all of these things keep a right perspective. The world is constantly "in our face", distracting us, and warping our worldview. But God's Word washes us and renews our minds, giving us a "right" mind, and the knowledge and strength that we need to face all the fiery darts of the enemy.
I have been thinking a lot about Heaven lately. Just allowing my mind to try and conceive of what it will be like to see Jesus face to face. I think too of seeing my brothers and sisters there, all of us rejoicing and worshipping around the throne of God. Surely there is nothing to compare with, nothing I can long more for, than that. It does seem purely selfish on my part. The thought of stepping out of this world, with all the sin and sorrow it contains, and stepping into perfection is a hope that brings me much comfort. It seems as if the glory of God is not my first motive. Or....is it? Because it is only in worshipping Him, with all our hearts, minds and souls, that we fulfill our ultimate purpose, and reach our highest, most glorious goal. John Piper says that God is "most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". And Heaven will be the place where we find our complete and eternal satisfaction, worshipping Him forever. So, I think I will keep on thinking on these things, and thanking God for His Word, and His Spirit, that have given us a glimpse of glory in the revelation of Jesus Christ.
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you will perish;
You have destroyed all those
who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.
(Psalm 73:25-28)
I love these verses. They display such heartfelt devotion to, dependence on, and satisfaction in God. When I read them, my heart says "Yes! So it is with me!", and in that moment the beauty and truth of the words resonate with my soul. It is a transient thing, however. Reality, or rather what we see as reality, soon interferes. When I get up from my reading, I am distracted by a thousand silly thoughts and worries. How can this be, when I know in my heart of hearts that He is all that I need, and the only One Who can complete me and keep me? How fickle is my devotion.
And this "reality" that steals my heat and mind away; how real is it? It is only the world, the flesh, and the devil, interrupting my mindfulness of some wonderful truths. Indeed, whom have I in Heaven, or on earth, but God? Who has more worth, or value, or is more deserving of my praise and trust? I know that my flesh, this body, this heartbeat of mine, will ultimately fail me. But He will raise me up, and keep me forever.
Can we really be "too Heavenly minded" to be "any earthly good?" I don't think so. Keeping our minds on things above, whatever is true, lovely and pure, hiding God's word in our hearts, all of these things keep a right perspective. The world is constantly "in our face", distracting us, and warping our worldview. But God's Word washes us and renews our minds, giving us a "right" mind, and the knowledge and strength that we need to face all the fiery darts of the enemy.
I have been thinking a lot about Heaven lately. Just allowing my mind to try and conceive of what it will be like to see Jesus face to face. I think too of seeing my brothers and sisters there, all of us rejoicing and worshipping around the throne of God. Surely there is nothing to compare with, nothing I can long more for, than that. It does seem purely selfish on my part. The thought of stepping out of this world, with all the sin and sorrow it contains, and stepping into perfection is a hope that brings me much comfort. It seems as if the glory of God is not my first motive. Or....is it? Because it is only in worshipping Him, with all our hearts, minds and souls, that we fulfill our ultimate purpose, and reach our highest, most glorious goal. John Piper says that God is "most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". And Heaven will be the place where we find our complete and eternal satisfaction, worshipping Him forever. So, I think I will keep on thinking on these things, and thanking God for His Word, and His Spirit, that have given us a glimpse of glory in the revelation of Jesus Christ.
4 comments:
Beautiful truth, thank you.
Love
D
True, we were designed to reflect the glory of God. Piper is correct. However, acknowledging my need to be loved (need-love, as CS Lewis calls it) is also part of the design, because, how can I appreciate his glory if I don't need Him or His love? In this equation, God does not need me, but I do need Him, and I suspect that this acknowledgment is the same as praying: "your kingdom come, your will be done". I think heaven's border is right at that point of surrender. Blessings. Eric
I spent the last 10 hours with my dad as he struggled with each deep breath. When he finally took that last deep breath.....Satan's final grip was gone. My dad caught his first glimpse of his Lord....and then another that eclipsed the first....and on and on throughout eternity. What a thought... that will soon be a reality.
Ike, when I let myself think about it, the joy and anticipation is almost too much to bear....I rejoice with you in knowing your Dad is now face to face with Jesus.
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