Daniel Fast Day 5
FRUITFULNESS
A New Horizon
There is an old saying from Lewis Grizzard who was a southern humorist: “Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” The sentiment is about always following someone else who is doing the steering and decision making for you. In this way of living, you might not know what lies ahead, whether good or bad, you simply follow the dog in front of you. I have news for you, we all are the lead dogs in our own lives whether we act like it or not. How your story plays out will depend on where you have set your sights. What are you looking at?
Paul, in his letter to the church in Colossae, has been honing in on the reality of who Jesus is. Jesus has the preeminence in all things and over all things. In light of that reality, he begins to encourage them, just like we have learned over the last two days, not to get caught in fake devotions or on other people’s false presumptions. We have a responsibility to live in a new reality. A reality that is not based on formulas or human rules, even if those rules seem to be wise because they involve strong devotion and self-discipline. If Christ is not the foundation or the reason, then all those pursuits are meaningless. Paul encourages believers to change their sights. We are encouraged to be heavenly minded.
Colossians 3:1-3(NLT) “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”
We must change our sights to get a whole new point of view. We need to be mindful of heavenly realities, not earthly things. Maybe you have heard the saying; “So heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” However, if we are not heavenly minded, we cannot be earthly good! To be heavenly minded does not mean we are thinking what it is going to be like when we die and go to heaven. It means we understand that this new life that we have received is validated, empowered, and sealed through the death of Jesus on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and Him sitting down at the place of authority and power at God’s right hand! To be heavenly minded is to be mindful of Jesus and what He has done for us!
Thinking about heaven is recognizing who is ultimately in charge and who ultimately rules and reigns. If our sights are only set on the things of the earth, the power that is available to us gets short-circuited. We do not struggle because we do not have, we struggle because we do not see what we have! It’s time that we live our lives from the realities of heaven, where God is and always will be in charge. Your real life is the one hidden in Christ, and you have received everything you need to live fruitfully and victoriously. 2 Peter 1:3-4(CEV) “We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.”
As followers of Christ, we all should have a new horizon, a different point of view, a heavenly mindedness that is solidly placed on Jesus. We struggle when we focus on ourselves and we thrive when we focus on Christ. Some of us suffer from spiritual nearsightedness because we can only see what is right in front of us and we cannot see what is ahead of us. Our fruitfulness will always be hindered by a lack of spiritual sight. If we don’t grow, we have spiritual myopia, meaning we cannot see what God has for us in the future, instead, we are consumed only by what we see in the here and now. 2 Peter 1:8-9(CEV) “If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.”
Is it not true that we get tripped up by either our own wrong desires or by some outward worldly influence that promises us something, but in the end fails to deliver? This continually and ultimately leaves us emptier than before. It gives us momentary satisfaction but no eternal value or significance. We become more and more desperate for something to keep us satisfied only to find that we ourselves, through our own evil desires, are fueling the flame of our discontent. It’s time to see a new horizon, a heavenly minded view!
To be heavenly minded is to see that we have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. To be heavenly minded is to know that we have a standing invitation by God to share in His goodness. To be heavenly minded is to trust that we have God’s great and precious promises, that His nature would become part of us. To be heavenly minded is to be comforted by the knowledge that we don’t have to be controlled or dominated by anything inside of us or anything the world could throw at us!
The impossible can never become possible until we see what needs to be seen. How is your sight?
Hebrews 12:28-29(Message) “Do you see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!”
Prayer and Reflection:
Father, thank You for a new day and a new opportunity to worship You and give You praise! May my heart be filled with thanks, my mind be focused on Your goodness, my ears open to Your voice, and my life deeply reverent before You. I pray You open the eyes of my heart so that I may see and reflect on all You have done for me and all You are doing. Give me a revelation of the truth that my real life is hidden in Christ. May Christ dwell in my heart with all wisdom and spiritual revelation and may my heart be filled to overflow with Your love.
Help me so that the prevailing thoughts of my mind are heavenly thoughts and that I am always secured by the thought of You, who sits on the throne. Jesus, You rule, not only in this life but also in the one to come. I pray for all believers, help us to have minds that are flooded with Your goodness and not occupied by the world’s lies. Thank You that we have received an unshakable kingdom, a kingdom without end, and a kingdom filled with glory! Let our view of You never be diminished through any circumstance but help us to give thanks in all circumstances. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
A New Horizon
There is an old saying from Lewis Grizzard who was a southern humorist: “Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” The sentiment is about always following someone else who is doing the steering and decision making for you. In this way of living, you might not know what lies ahead, whether good or bad, you simply follow the dog in front of you. I have news for you, we all are the lead dogs in our own lives whether we act like it or not. How your story plays out will depend on where you have set your sights. What are you looking at?
Paul, in his letter to the church in Colossae, has been honing in on the reality of who Jesus is. Jesus has the preeminence in all things and over all things. In light of that reality, he begins to encourage them, just like we have learned over the last two days, not to get caught in fake devotions or on other people’s false presumptions. We have a responsibility to live in a new reality. A reality that is not based on formulas or human rules, even if those rules seem to be wise because they involve strong devotion and self-discipline. If Christ is not the foundation or the reason, then all those pursuits are meaningless. Paul encourages believers to change their sights. We are encouraged to be heavenly minded.
Colossians 3:1-3(NLT) “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”
We must change our sights to get a whole new point of view. We need to be mindful of heavenly realities, not earthly things. Maybe you have heard the saying; “So heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” However, if we are not heavenly minded, we cannot be earthly good! To be heavenly minded does not mean we are thinking what it is going to be like when we die and go to heaven. It means we understand that this new life that we have received is validated, empowered, and sealed through the death of Jesus on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and Him sitting down at the place of authority and power at God’s right hand! To be heavenly minded is to be mindful of Jesus and what He has done for us!
Thinking about heaven is recognizing who is ultimately in charge and who ultimately rules and reigns. If our sights are only set on the things of the earth, the power that is available to us gets short-circuited. We do not struggle because we do not have, we struggle because we do not see what we have! It’s time that we live our lives from the realities of heaven, where God is and always will be in charge. Your real life is the one hidden in Christ, and you have received everything you need to live fruitfully and victoriously. 2 Peter 1:3-4(CEV) “We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.”
As followers of Christ, we all should have a new horizon, a different point of view, a heavenly mindedness that is solidly placed on Jesus. We struggle when we focus on ourselves and we thrive when we focus on Christ. Some of us suffer from spiritual nearsightedness because we can only see what is right in front of us and we cannot see what is ahead of us. Our fruitfulness will always be hindered by a lack of spiritual sight. If we don’t grow, we have spiritual myopia, meaning we cannot see what God has for us in the future, instead, we are consumed only by what we see in the here and now. 2 Peter 1:8-9(CEV) “If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. But if you don’t grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.”
Is it not true that we get tripped up by either our own wrong desires or by some outward worldly influence that promises us something, but in the end fails to deliver? This continually and ultimately leaves us emptier than before. It gives us momentary satisfaction but no eternal value or significance. We become more and more desperate for something to keep us satisfied only to find that we ourselves, through our own evil desires, are fueling the flame of our discontent. It’s time to see a new horizon, a heavenly minded view!
To be heavenly minded is to see that we have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. To be heavenly minded is to know that we have a standing invitation by God to share in His goodness. To be heavenly minded is to trust that we have God’s great and precious promises, that His nature would become part of us. To be heavenly minded is to be comforted by the knowledge that we don’t have to be controlled or dominated by anything inside of us or anything the world could throw at us!
The impossible can never become possible until we see what needs to be seen. How is your sight?
Hebrews 12:28-29(Message) “Do you see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!”
Prayer and Reflection:
- Each one of us is responsible to lead our own lives, especially pertaining to our walk with Christ. How seriously do you take the leadership of your own life?
- Are you better at making excuses or do you accept the responsibility for your own life? What would those who know you best say?
- Are you more heavenly minded, or more earthly minded? Do your habits reflect your answer?
- What can you do to become more heavenly minded in your daily walk?
Father, thank You for a new day and a new opportunity to worship You and give You praise! May my heart be filled with thanks, my mind be focused on Your goodness, my ears open to Your voice, and my life deeply reverent before You. I pray You open the eyes of my heart so that I may see and reflect on all You have done for me and all You are doing. Give me a revelation of the truth that my real life is hidden in Christ. May Christ dwell in my heart with all wisdom and spiritual revelation and may my heart be filled to overflow with Your love.
Help me so that the prevailing thoughts of my mind are heavenly thoughts and that I am always secured by the thought of You, who sits on the throne. Jesus, You rule, not only in this life but also in the one to come. I pray for all believers, help us to have minds that are flooded with Your goodness and not occupied by the world’s lies. Thank You that we have received an unshakable kingdom, a kingdom without end, and a kingdom filled with glory! Let our view of You never be diminished through any circumstance but help us to give thanks in all circumstances. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Posted in Daniel Fast 2024