Fruit Cove Baptist Church

It’s all about perspective, isn’t it? How we view the circumstances, both good and bad, that come to our lives turns on perspective.

Whether a situation is received as preparation or punishment is a matter of our perspective. The trials and traumas of our lives also are seen through a lens called perspective.

What if you were offered the possibility of living the rest of your life pain free, trouble free, tear free with one condition. For a millisecond, you would experience excruciating pain but then you would not be able to remember it? Would you sign up for such a deal? No more pain? Sorrow? Weeping? Difficulty? Sounds too good to be true? Think about this with perspective.

You already have a better deal than that…if you’re a believer in Jesus. For a millisecond, (for some, 70 years or 90…for others less than that) you are experiencing pain, trials, sorrows, suffering…some excruciating. But then, what do we get? An eternity where there is no pain, neither sorrow or crying, for the former things (the pain) have passed away. (Read Revelation 21:6) The pain…the tears… the sorrow pass away even (I believe) from our memories!! The millisecond of life on earth compared to the unending reality of eternity is “not worthy to be compared” to what lies ahead for the believer.

Do you understand? PERSPECTIVE makes pain endurable, sorrow and suffering tolerable, tears no longer terrible. “The former things will pass away.” And all that will be left is…
JOY!

Today begins a month of commitment to the Giving Beyond Ourselves 3 campaign. Once again, you have or will receive a commitment card. We want each church member to pray about their part of this campaign. Some, frankly, may not be able to do as much. Some can do much more than others.

My desire is to hear SOMETHING from every individual and family. Maybe it’s a relatively minor commitment financially. For others, your commitment may be to pray for the ongoing effort to eliminate our debt. As we give to Giving Beyond Ourselves 3 we are giving to help move toward lowering our debt to free us for the next level that God is calling us to participate in. Your gift may be a one time gift. It may be a weekly or monthly commitment.

I hope, as you have been a part of this, that you may choose to move to the next level of giving on a weekly or monthly basis. So many have been deeply committed to helping us get beyond by giving beyond ourselves. We are blessing Kingdom work and Kingdom purposes as we do this.

Please pray about your part. As we Give Beyond Ourselves in this campaign, we can give more of ourselves to God’s Kingdom and the harvest to which He has called us. Thank you for your genuine consideration and your generosity that will result in thanksgiving to the Father. I pray God’s richest grace to abound to you as you obey Him in this important campaign!

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray my Cuisinart to keep.
I pray my stocks are on the rise. And that my analyst is wise.
That racquetball won’t get too tough, That all my sushi’s fresh enough.
I pray my iPhone 6 still works, That my career won’t lose its perks;
My microwave won’t radiate; My condo won’t depreciate.
I pray my health club doesn’t close. And that my money market grows
If I go broke before I wake I pray my Volvo they won’t take.

This little poem offered by Steve Farrar outlines a problem for each of us today. It begs the question, “What is really most important to you in life?”  What are you priorities…what’s in first place?

We can find over and again in the Scriptures references to getting first things first, of not getting our priorities out of order, of “seeking first” the Kingdom of God, of following first the Commission of Jesus, and loving God first and best.

Priorities are important.  The little poem above captures just about every misplaced priority we could imagine, but I’m sure there are a few that may challenge you that didn’t get mentioned.

The process of correcting priorities BEGINS with an awareness of what we are REALLY seeking with our lives.  And we use two ways to communicate what we are REALLY about:  Our TIME, and our MONEY.  Where does your time go…where does your money go?  I’ll answer for us all:

to that which is most important to us.

Where is the challenge for you today?  Things?  Work?  Bills?  Family?  House?  Cars?  Boats?  Or can you honestly say, “I am seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness?”  That is where priorities begin to get rightly ordered. And then, “all these other things” can find their proper place in your life.