by Jerry Senn
Why should we set our hearts and minds on things above? Paul says, “When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” You died with Christ in the past, your life is hidden with Christ in the present, and in the future you will appear with Christ in glory.
In John 14:6 our Lord said, “Because I live, you also will live.” And so as a Christian Jesus is not only the most important thing in our lives. He is our life! “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain,” said Paul” (Phil 1:21).
If you are a Christian, Christ is your life. And because he is your life, he is also your hope. Which is why Paul says: “When Christ appears, you also will appear with him in glory.” This is the destiny of every believer.
Just as every eye will see Christ when he returns, so every eye will see you with him. What was hidden will be revealed. Those who laughed at you or mocked you for being a Christian will see the reality of your faith. Your faith will be vindicated before the whole world.
In John’s declining years he wrote: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we shall be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2). Paul earlier wrote: “Wait for his Son from heaven, … Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (2 Thess 1:10). What an amazing hope!
God will take a bunch of rag-tag sinners like you and me, and he will glorify us with Christ.
“You must not only seek heaven;
You must also think heaven.”
(JB Lightfoot.)