honor – Far More Life

Taste of Heaven

We want to be comfortable. To have our needs met. We long for a life that is free from the struggles that weigh us down. We desire relief from emotional and physical pain, broken bodies and minds. We want people to value and respect each other. We yearn for justice and equality. We long for peace, safety, and security.

God desires these things for us, too. And He will provide them in heaven. But they are not guaranteed on earth. A pop song in the late 1980s claimed that heaven is a place on earth. It has a catchy tune and appealing lyrics, but they do disagree with Scripture.

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. (Psalm 11:4, NIV)
God is in heaven and you are on earth (Ecclesiastes 5:2, NIV)

We want to experience all the goodness of heaven now. But we cannot. We are still residents of this sinful world under Satan’s control (I John 5:19). During this life, we should expect evil and difficulties because people are incapable of upholding God’s perfect standard.

…No one is good—except God alone. (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19, NIV)
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12, NIV)

But God has not left His children alone without help or hope to face these struggles. Here are some of His instructions and promises that point us toward far more life this side of heaven.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33, NIV)
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (John 15:19, NIV)
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25, NIV)

This life — both good and bad elements — is temporary. Our bodies, wealth, riches, success, and struggles will end. God’s Word reminds that far more life looks beyond the present circumstances to our eternal future:

Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. (2 Corinthians 5:1, CEV)
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. (I Timothy 6:17, NIV)
Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. (Matthew 6:19-20, CEV)
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever (I John 2:17, NIV)

Far more life is not found in earthly pursuits. It does not depend on our wealth, power, influence, accomplishments, or success. Instead it is found in dedicating our lives to God. In striving to love Him and represent Him in all we do. In letting the power of His Spirit overflow in us: unconditional love; lasting joy; profound peace; genuine gentleness; and more. We get a taste of Heaven on earth — and experience far more life — when we yield to God and adopt the mindset Jesus modeled in the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10, CSB)

We get a taste of heaven when we honor God’s name. We do this by respecting His character and changing our beliefs, thoughts, words, and actions to match His. We also honor His name by giving Him the credit He deserves. We honor Him by telling others about His love, righteousness, and offer to pay the penalty of their sins. We honor His name through a living, growing relationship with Him.

We get a taste of heaven when we are building His kingdom. Although this world will never reach the perfection of heaven, God is working here. He invites us to join Him in that work by sharing our faith with others. They face the same questions, doubts, and challenges as us; they, too, can find hope and help through a relationship with Him. Jesus is the best solution to every problem humans face on earth!

We get a taste of heaven when we do His will. In heaven, we will be fulfilled by carrying out God’s will quickly, completely, and cheerfully. The most satisfaction we can find on earth is through obeying God in this way. He has a master plan, and we each have a unique part to play in it. Having made us, He knows the best way for us to fulfill His plan and discover far more life.

While we wait to fully experience heaven, remember this encouragement about our time on earth:

And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. (2 Corinthians 4:17, GNT)

Sisters,
In what area(s) of life do you most long for heaven?
What is your attitude toward the difficulties that you experience in life?
What do you think about God’s declaration that no one is good apart from Him?
Have you yielded to God in honoring His name? In building His kingdom? In doing His will?
Praise Him for the fulfillment of far more life as you look forward to eternity in heaven!
-Shari

Beautiful Temples

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (I Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV)

Have you ever wondered why we have physical bodies? God could have made us however he wanted but chose to house our mind and soul in bodies. The bodies of His children are also the temple in which His Spirit lives.

The tabernacle served as God’s temporary home on earth during the years the Israelites were wandering through the desert and establishing their nation. It was a tent that was set up and taken down over and over for more than 400 years as they moved around. Once the Israelites established Jerusalem as their capital, the temple was built as God’s semi-permanent home. Several chapters of the Old Testament lay out intricate plans for these structures. God detailed the dimensions, the materials to be used, the specific layout, and the furnishings. They were designed to be beautiful and practical while serving a specific purpose: God’s dwelling place on earth.

We should not be surprised that God designed our bodies to be beautiful and practical as well. They, too, are His dwelling place on earth among those who place their faith in Jesus.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (Ephesians 3:16-17, NIV)
…When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14, NIV)

Unlike Old Testament saints, we are filled with God’s Spirit: He lives inside us from the moment of salvation until Jesus returns to take us to Heaven. We do not need to go to a special place to connect with Him or have another person sacrifice on our behalf. What an honor to be God’s daughter and have Him live inside!

Far more life is found when we put the proper emphasis on our physical bodies — not too little (discussed in the previous post, Beautiful Bodies) and not too much. Our bodies are important, but not our primary focus. New Testament writers recognized our temptation to idolize our bodies:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV)
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator… (Romans 1:25, NIV)

How do we honor God with our bodies? Consider these verses:

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes… But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:22-23, 31, NIV)

We honor God with our bodies by focusing on our spiritual work. We should not neglect our physical needs, rather we should understand our greater purpose.

Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires…offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. (Romans 6:12, NIV)
…Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:1, NIV)
Each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable. (I Thessalonians 4:4, NIV)

We honor God with our bodies by living righteously. What we see and hear, what we think about, and what we do can honor or dishonor Him. Some of our “evil desires” are to make pleasure our primary focus, be it be blatant sin or private over-indulgence. God created us to experience pleasure and has given us freedom to enjoy much in His creation, but Satan tempts us to seek pleasure over holiness. Other “evil desires” tempt us to look for self-worth and confidence in the state of our bodies. This temptation is less about what we do and more about why we do it; we can perform the same activities with righteous or unrighteous motivations. God wants us to take care of our bodies so we can use them to glorify Him; Satan wants us to seek our own glory. We experience far more life as we grow in Spirit-controlled use of our bodies.

…Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. (I Corinthians 12:22-24, NIV)

We honor God by recognizing that our bodies, like the temple, consist of public and private parts. We honor Him by giving Him the priority in our hearts and minds. We honor Him by sharing some parts only with our husband. We honor Him by using our public parts to bless and care for others. All parts are beautiful and honorable, but serve different purposes.

If your childhood dream was to be a princess, your reality is better: you are God’s beautiful and holy temple, designed to glorify Him! Enjoy far more life by filling your temple with righteousness.

Sisters,
Are you more tempted to under-value or over-value your body, God’s temple?
Do you have any doubts about the permanence of God in your heart? If so, search His word for the truth about your status before Him. (Or ask a trusted spiritual mentor for help.)
How do you already honor God with your body? How do you want to grow in this?
Thank God for choosing you as His temple and filling you with far more life!
-Shari