1 PETER 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

2 PETER 1:3-4 – “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

THEME OF THE DAY: THINK ON HEAVEN.   Have you done so recently?  The theme of today’s nugget – think on heaven?  Did you know that having our eyes fixed on the return of Jesus, heaven, eternity, and the next world is a huge part of Christian growth?  Sanctification is not just about what we do, but where and upon whom we fix our minds and hearts.  The Apostle Paul instructs to that end in his letter to the Colossian believers.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3).

The Apostle Peter also directs our spiritual gaze toward heaven and eternal things.  And remember, he is writing to Christians under heavy persecution and suffering for the faith.  As for us?  When we go through the inevitable trials, testing, and difficulties in living for Jesus, our focus must be away from ourselves and our circumstances.  This is not easy, and often a moment-by-moment fight, but fight we must.  Our joy in the Lord is dependent on two things Peter directs us toward.

First, thinking on what our certain future is – arrival in the place of no more sin, suffering, or sorrow.  It is a place that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”. It is when we transform our thinking to be heavenly-minded, we have the proper perspective and response to the pain in this world.

Next, clinging to God’s promises.  That is how we live the Christian life. And these are not just promises.  Peter calls them precious promises – by “which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises”.  But in order to cling to His promises, we must know His promises.  Writing them on our hearts through consistent intake of our Bibles renews our minds and enables the Spirit of God to bring these precious promises to our remembrance in those difficult seasons.

So, thinking on heaven.  It is how we grow as Christians.  It is also the way to show the world there is hope; there is a God of love who sent His Son to open the door to heaven for us to enter and enjoy Him. And the more we think on the next life the more effective we are for Christ in this life.

PRAYER: Father, may I think more on heaven and You than the things of this world and myself.

REFLECTION: The more we think on heaven the less grip the world, its pain, and its pleasures have on us.