Focused on the Truth of Heaven

December 6

“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified,” II Corinthians 13:5.

Our holy God has used the above two passages of scripture to elucidate His people in the matter of self-evaluation. He makes it very clear that we are not to compare ourselves to those around us. We are not to compare ourselves to nonbelievers, nor are we to compare ourselves to other people of faith.

However, we are admonished to examine ourselves to discover any area that is wanting within us. The Lord makes it quite clear that how little or how much money we have is of no eternal profit to us by the parable He gives in Luke 16:19–31 which says:

“There was a rich man who lived in luxury every day and at his gate was a poor beggar named Lazarus…The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and went to hades where he was in torment. From there, he cried out that Lazarus might be allowed to…go to his family to warn them so they would not end up in the same condemnation…however, Abraham assured them that even a visitation from the dead would not convince them if they refused to believe Moses and the prophets.”

We see that the rich man’s wealth profited him nothing without Christ and the beggar’s poverty kept nothing of eternal treasure from him. We understand that we must keep our eyes on the eternal throughout our lives so when our moment comes for departing the sphere of time, we will be carried by the angels into the presence of God.

This will happen not because we have compared ourselves to other people and have found ourselves in abundance or in want but because we have challenged ourselves to love the Lord Jesus and to serve Him in the beauty of holiness; it will be because we have allowed our lives to be focused upon the truth of Heaven which is life’s true treasure and not upon the trappings of the world that must fade away.