As I was reflecting on this topic “The Things Above”, many thoughts crowded my mind. When we talk about the things above what does it really mean. Normally the thing I should see above if I am in a house is the ceiling and if I am outside, it will be the sky. But the things above in this context is deeper than we really see with the physical eyes. Its more about having FOCUS on one thing and this thing is what we cannot see. Isn’t it stupid to focus on what you cannot see? Therefore in this session, we will look at the things we cannot see, why and how we should focus.
Paul admonishes us in 2 Corinthians 4:18 thus”So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (NIV). It is even clearer in the NLT version of the Bible which says “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
I found this portion of scripture quite encouraging in a time when I was filled with so much doubt. In 2017, I was at that point in my life when it seemed like everything was going in the opposite direction. Nothing worked out according to my plan. I wondered whether the promises of God are actually true. As far as I was conerned, I had obeyed everything God asked me in His word to do. I tithed, I sowed seeds, went on gospel outreaches, brought people to church etc. But the more I made efforts at advancing the kingdom and living righteous, the more frustrated I became. So why should I focus on the things which are unseen if in striving to achieve the things unseen I only end up in misery? Those were the thoughts that crowded my mind and the only option I had left was to take advantage of what I could see to get a way out of my misery. I even got to the extent of asking God where are the blessings He promised for tithers? I asked where are the open heavens He promised? The feeling was like I was just wasting my money giving tithes, more like a person buying shares in a company but not receiving any dividends on the shares, while watching other people get their dividends. It becomes so glaring that its time to pull out your shares from the company or seek a minority protection action in court. I am sure someone can relate with this season. Again I ask “what are these things above and why should I Focus on them?” But God spoke to me through 2Cor 4:18. In that season of my life, one thing I kept asking myself was “What will my testimony of faith to the world be? That I could not be patient enough with God to help me and decided to help myself through the wrong means?” If I had not gone through that period, I would not be able to write this message now. Its NOT about looking at your troubles but looking at the promises of God and what He has done/will do. You may be saying yes I have heard this time and again but how do I do it in a season of doubt? This leads me to the next part of this write up which is how to focus on the things above?
How do I focus on the things above?
1.) Think about what made you accept Jesus.
In a season of doubt, confusion or uncertainties, the first thing to do is to ask yourself how you came to believe Jesus? What made you accept to become a Christian? What was the message you heard that made you believe Jesus? As you take time to think about this, you realise you are conditioning your mind to the goodness of God. Most times for someone like me, I end up with smiles as I remember the song I heard a choir sing which made me know it was time to get more serious with God even though I was raised in a Christian family and attended almost all church events. The day I heard that song, its like the heavens opened over me and it was so clear it was the presence of God. If you can remember the experience the day you came to Christ, its a good way to redirect your focus.
2.) Think about how far He has brought you.
If you look at where you were 5 years ago and where you are now, you will notice that even if much has not changed at least something has changed even just in your thinking. Many times, we loss sight of the little things God does for us each day but we wait only for the big things. Have you ever been in that position where there was a topic you did not understand in a course but when that topic came in the exam you passed? That’s how God brought you out of shame and helped you graduate. Even if you don’t have a job now, you will get an assurance that He is the same God who helped you graduate so He will help you again. God took the Israelites out of Egypt in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament. But in later places in the bible up till the New testament which came about 400 years after the Old Testament, reference is still made to the God who led the Israelites through the red sea on dry ground, to reassure us that He is still God. (Psalms 105, Psalms 106, Hebrews 11:28).
Remember Abraham waited for a long time for a child and when God finally gave him a child, God asked Him to sacrifice that only child. I can imagine what I would have done if I was in Abraham’s shoes. But in that trying moment, Abraham probably looked at how far God had brought Him, taking Him out of his house to a very strange land but settling Him with riches. Though it was not easy for him to leave to an unknown place, He obeyed and saw the result. Therefore he looked at the things above and decided to sacrifice his son as an offering to God, knowing God had a reason for everything . Because of that act, God counted Him as Righteous and blessed him. Up till to the new testament, God was still testifying about Him.
I urge you dear friend to take your eyes off your troubles and focus on the promise. Instead of trying to figure out how to handle your situation by yourself by all means when it seems hard, why not remember how God helped you in the past? Before taking any action ask yourself the simple question “What will my testimony of faith be and how will God testify about me?” JUST FOCUS ON THE THINGS ABOVE.