Before I jump into today’s post. I am thankfully home now. I spent six days in the hospital after major surgery to remove a tumor from my chest. I won’t know for some days as to whether the tumor was malignant or not. Thanks to all of you who contacted me letting me know you were praying for me. Please continue to do that over the next several weeks as I recover at home. If you desire to know more, please email me–davekraft763@gmail.com.
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When I was a young Christian, there was a chorus we sang which had these words. “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”
In Philippians 3:19 ESV we read, “Their end is destruction, their God is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
The NLT puts it this way, “They think only about this life here on earth.”
I’ve been reflecting lately about living only horizontally as opposed to living both horizontally and vertically.
As Christians. and Christian leaders, we obviously live in two worlds. We live in the now and the not yet. In John 17, Jesus did not pray that we would be taken out of the world, but rather that we would be protected from the evil one-Verse 15.
It takes lots of grace to live in the world, but not get caught up in the world’s ways and the world’s goods (1 John 2:15, 16-The Message).
On a day-to-day basis, it seems easier to live horizontally rather than vertically; easier to leave God out rather, than leave Him in.
On Sunday we can declare and sing with great enthusiasm that God is “Our Father” but then we live like orphans Monday through Saturday with very little thought of Him.
We can go about our daily business without really thinking much of the Lord we belong to until we walk into our small group or our Sunday church service. I’m inclined to think that this may be true of a lot more Christians than we realize.
Just ask yourself. On any given day how many times do you find yourself silently praying or worshipping in response to things happening to you, in you and around you?
Are you in the habit of living primarily horizontally much, if not most, of the time, or are you learning how to “Abide” (John 15) and live on earth with eternity in view? Are you so earthly minded that you are no heavenly good?
Just wondering!
Over time I’ve come to the conclusion that living in both worlds at the same time is the normal Christian life Jesus has in mind for us.
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