Consumed with petty things?

Look at the ground, you see rocks. Lift your eyes, you see mountains!
Are you a person of vision? How you live, who you become, what you leave as a legacy will be determined less by ‘chance’ than by your vision. Let me illustrate this in the ordinary stuff of life.
• A married man sees a very attractive young woman who is available and knows he could have her if he wanted her. He lifts his eyes and sees his children’s future, his integrity with his wife, his relationship with God and lets the vision lead him past the temptation for a few moments of pleasure.

• An employee struggling to pay her bills sees that sloppy accounting procedures would allow her to take company funds. She lifts her eyes and sees the opportunities for promotion, the ability to sleep peacefully at night, and chooses to trust God’s promise for provision.

• A student sees that a website that offers to do the work of preparing that end of term project that he has not yet completed. He lifts his eyes and sees the character that comes from diligence, that he is learning to push through long hours of tedium to accomplish his goal and does his own work, feeling good about the choice.

What kind of person do you want to be? God, the Holy Spirit, promises to work deeply in each one of us, inspiring us with greater vision so that the petty temptations and problems of our lives do not consume us. Look at the Word. We pray for you "asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." (Colossians 1:9-13, NIV)
The way that passage unfolds excites me. A life worthy of the Lord, full of spiritual fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control- Gal. 5:22-23) flows from knowing what God wants. That’s vision! Further, we are promised His strength so we can stand against the winds of trial. That’s provision!
Disciple, don’t let your heritage in Christ become about just getting through the day. Pray for the ability to see all the way to Heaven! If you turn your walk with Christ into a religion of petty obligations, the glory is lost. Of course we have choices to make today that are sometimes difficult. We must deal with sin and temptation, but the heart of the Kingdom is about much more than just trying not to lose your temper, trying to be nice, or working at holding lust at bay! The Kingdom is about being full of the Spirit which displaces the power of evil in us. Trying to empty a room of darkness is an impossible task. Filling a room with light is as simple as lighting a candle!

Here’s the word from the Word. As you read it, give thanks that the Spirit calls you from darkness to Light, from petty religion to eternal glory, then lift your eyes and live like a King’s kid today. "This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone… to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less." (Colossians 1:26-30, The Message)
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Lord, the light of Your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness shining;
Jesus, Light of the World, shine upon us;
Set us free by the truth You now bring us.
Shine on me, shine on me.

Lord, I come to Your awesome presence.
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.

As we gaze on Your kingly brightness,
So our faces display Your likeness;
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirror'd here, may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shine.
Fill this land
With the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze.
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow.
Flood the nations
With grace and mercy;
Send forth Your Word,
Lord, and let there be light.

Shine, Jesus, Shine

Kendrick, Graham
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