Our calendars – and our minds – seem to get overloaded at Christmastime. This devotional looks at how we should prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth by setting our affections on heavenly things, not earthly things.
Nuggets
- We need to be prepared for accepting God’s principles.
- We prepare by focusing on God.
- We prepare by putting lesser importance on things of the earth.
- We prepare by making sure our focus is on heavenly things.
Devotions in Silencing Our Hearts at Christmastime series
Let’s switch gears a little with this devotion. We have been talking about silencing our hearts in preparation for celebrating Jesus’ birth.
But what is that really about?
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Preparation by Setting Our Affections
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3: 1 ESV)
We need to be prepared for accepting God’s principles.
We said this series was about preparing ourselves for the Child of Christmas’ birth. It all boils down to our setting our affections on heavenly things.
Bridge said that affections are “the motions of the reasonable soul.” Foster stressed the connection between the soul and the object(s) to which the affection is focused.
Resource
Wait! Shouldn’t that say emotions? Our feelings of fondness?
I don’t think so.
We shouldn’t base our submission to God on our feelings. It shouldn’t just be a reaction.
Our affections are based on the progress of our enlightened acceptance of God’s principles, gained through knowledge, fear, discernment, and good sense, that impacts our spiritual part that is immortal.
• Discernment means we can evaluate the situation and recognize right from wrong.
Let’s process that. If we base our relationships with God on how we are feeling at the moment and what the circumstances currently are, they won’t be consistent. We are focusing on this world and what is happening to us now.
We are given salvation because we choose to admit that mankind was separated from God after the original sin, making us sinners; believe Jesus paid the penalty for those sins to become our Savior and Redeemer; confess God as Sovereign God; and demonstrate that commitment by submitting to living our lives following His laws and commandments. We trust in God through all situations in our lives — the good and the bad.
That means — regardless of what is happening this day — we are committed to God. We choose to do God’s right instead of Satan’s evil.
Preparation by Focusing on God
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3: 2 NIV)
We prepare by focusing on God.
Don’t misread what set our minds on earthly things to mean. Bridge helped us with that.
He wrote, “What, may we not at all affect the things of earth? Yes, ye may desire them, and grieve at the loss of them, and both desire and grief are affections.”
Resource
I know I desired a husband — and God sent me Pastor Steve. I really grieved when Mom and Dad died.
Yes, those are more emotions. But is that only what they are?
Ephesians 5: 25 tells “Husbands, [to] love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (ESV). That was right after Paul told wives to “… submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Eph. 5: 22 ESV).
Notice Paul isn’t saying anything about dictatorship here. He is saying that the focus needs to be on God and mimic His relationships with us as we interact with others.
The focus is on our spiritual condition.
Give Up Earthly Things
“You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived” (Col. 3: 7 NIV)
We prepare by putting lesser importance on things of the earth.
Yes, family is important — biological and those we make.
But God is more important. We have to focus on the spiritual and eternal.
If we focus on things of this world, we are focusing on the temporary. This world will end one day. “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them” (Rev. 20: 11 NIV).
Anderson explained it this way. He wrote, “Earthly things are only at best a temporary convenience; but without the heavenly a man perishes for ever. Let, then, the most depressing view of life be taken, it is soon over, and then the Christian is for ever with the Lord.”
Resource
Think about, too, the downside of the worldview. Think about suspect business practices.
Yes, we may gain from climbing the corporate ladder in the backs of others — but they don’t. When we lie and cheat to get ahead, we really aren’t.
Worldly approval will not sustain us. Oh, it may be enough for awhile, but we end up wanting more and more.
What the world has to offer will not satisfy us.
Only God can.
Be Citizens of Heaven
“Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3: 19-21 NIV)
We prepare by making sure our focus is on heavenly things.
I love what Bishop Lightfoot said. He wrote, “You must not only seek heaven; you must also think heaven.”
Resource
Yes, here at Seeking God with Elaine we are about seeking. But it is more than that, isn’t it?
- We can go hear the Pastor Steve-types preach, but if his words only impact us for that hour, we haven’t grown any.
- If we think only of what we are going to get out of being a disciple — status, an easy road, healing [add your own perk in here], we miss the boat.
We have to really seek God.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17)
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3)
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16)
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11)
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2)
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11)
If we do not study God’s Word, we really don’t know what it says. If we don’t meditate on it, we don’t apply it to our lives.
We have to prepare our hearts for what God is saying to us. We can only do that when we are focusing on Him.
Making the Connections #1
It really important at Christmastime that we focus on God and not on the worldly distractions the season brings. We have to set our hearts and minds on things above.
What better time to think about all God has done to design the Plan of Salvation for our forgiveness?
True, that means we have to slow down. We have to take our focus off the lights, the parties, and the gifts – and put it on the most important Gift of all – the Child of Christmas.
Making the Connections #2
I think it would be — I don’t want to say hard — messy if God tried to dictate to us how we are to set our affections.
No, I know God is in control of everything. He can do anything and everything. God has given us laws and commandments to follow.
But if God said do it my way or else you immediately die, we couldn’t do it.
It would be messy because, even though we are made in God’s image, we are also made in Adam’s image. We have a sinful nature within us.
Glossary
I’m just saying if God would have said, “Chop, chop – do it my way,” it would have been messier yet.
Making the Connections #3
Many worldview people thing disciples give up so much to follow Jesus. Anderson told us that is wrong thinking. He wrote, “So if a man choose the earthly he can gain none of the heavenly; whereas if he choose the heavenly, besides securing it, he gains the best of the earthly.”
Resource
We don’t lose by following Jesus. We gain.
Oh, no. The worldview would say we lose because we submit to God. They think that makes Him a dictator and we are just blind little sheep following with no freedom.
That is far from the truth. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn. 8: 32 NIV).
How Do We Apply This?
- Dislike what we have previously liked that doesn’t follow God’s Will.
- Receive God’s Word with joy.
- Hunger and thirst for God.
- Focus our minds on God.
- Seek God.
- Examine our priorities to see if they are in temporal concerns or eternal concerns.
- Gain joy in thinking about eternal things.
- Sacrifice for eternal concerns instead of temporal concerns.
- Evaluate our daily actions to make sure the temporal concerns are not interfering with the spiritual concerns.
- Grow to want spiritual things more and more.
Resource
Father God. We don’t want to focus on Satan and this world. We want to focus on You. You created us. You have designed the Plan of Salvation so that our sins will be forgiven. Lord, You ways are different than the ways of mankind. Help us to eliminate our earthly desires and focus solely on You. Amen.
What do you think?
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