Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen

II Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

Paul wrote these verses after describing the fact that he was facing death every day.  He is making an appeal that the way you ultimately conquer death, the way you ultimately triumph in the face of death, the way you ultimately do not lose heart in facing death is to see it not from a physical perspective, but from a spiritual one. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 2 that Satan holds men bondage to the "fear of death" all their life long.  When you come to the place where you have conquered that fear, you have conquered the ultimate enemy.  Spiritual growth involves the gradual transformation from viewing life from a temporal perspective to viewing life from an eternal perspective.  It is the perspective of the sincere and mature Christian to see beyond what is visible to the eye and perceive the great spiritual reality. 

True Christians do not lose heart after the death of a Christian loved one or in facing our own deaths because we do not look at what is temporal.  People tend to put too much emphasis on the temporal rather than the eternal.  We spend too much time on things that don’t last.  We work at jobs 60+ hours a week and work at ministry a few hours or less.  From an eternal perspective it should be the opposite.  It is interesting that funerals, for a believer, focus on relationships, not on accomplishments.  Very little is said about a litany of achievement in the life of a Christian.  Perhaps at the funeral of an unbeliever, where accomplishment has been the focus rather than relationships, that’s all you can talk about.  However, the only real reward that matters is that which we did through our ministries for God in his kingdom.  May you figure out how to fix your eyes on what is unseen and has eternal value in this life.

 

Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life, says that your life on earth is only a temporary assignment.  Life on earth is just passing through as you aim for your eternal destiny. In order for you not to become too attached to earth, God allows you to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in this life….longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity.  You are not completely happy here because you’re not supposed to be.  Your life in your perishable body on this perishable land is not your final home; you have been created for something much better.

May you rejoice and thank God for this wonderful life He has given you and for the assurance you have as a believer in Jesus Christ, that glory without comparison is ahead for you.  And if you are not a believer, all you have to do to become a believer is to confess your sins and invite Jesus to take over your life and serve Him as your Savior and Lord.