Bible

How to Use Bible Commentaries More Effectively

/ Richard Bargas / 2 Comments

Commentaries are a huge blessing to those who study the Bible. From them we can glean from the years of hard study of thousands of Christians who have come before us. Their knowledge of culture, language, grammar, background information, and theology can fill out our understanding of the biblical writers. For pastors, Bible students, and scholars, Bible commentaries act as a check on their own study, allowing them to see if they are coming to similar conclusions as those who have studied the same passage. This helps to make sure that our own conclusions aren’t going off in a direction that might lead to error, or even worse. But there are a wide variety of commentaries out there, and it is often difficult even for those trained in seminary to know which to use and when to use it. I thought it would be helpful to describe each type of commentary commonly available, how it is helpful, and then what order I use commentaries to best help me develop my sermons and Bible studies.

Like a lot of Christians, my first experiences with Bible commentaries were mixed. Some seemed to be written in a foreign language, even when they were written in English. They were so complicated and hard to understand that they were frustrating and useless to me. Others were understandable, but they often read like sermons. This made them enjoyable to read, but they often skipped over large portions or failed to explain the one verse I was needing help with!

Later, after attending seminary, I learned that there are different categories of commentaries for different purposes. And I learned an incredibly important lesson: commentaries should be used after I have done my own study. The temptation can be to take a great teacher’s study and sermon outline from their commentary and teach or preach it as if it was my own. Not only is that unethical, it robs you of the blessing of encountering the Word for yourself when you do the hard work of studying.

To help myself, I came up with a simple system of when to read the types of commentaries I use in a specific order. I’ll give you that system a little later, but first I think it would be helpful for me to lay out some of the different types of commentaries out there. This will help you know what you already own, their strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully it will give you a better idea of what you should buy the next time you purchase a new commentary.

Types of Commentaries [1]

  1. Devotional-These commentaries are written for the average Christian and are heavy with application. They are broad in scope, meaning they cover a lot of Bible in a little space. Often, they are a short book written to cover a whole Bible book. Warren Wiersbe’s “Be” series and J. Vernon McGee’s Thru the Bible Commentaries are of this kind.
  2. Expositional-These commentaries are based upon the preaching of a particular pastor’s sermons. They may or may not be heavily edited, but they often include coverage of a preaching portion: illustrations, application, and explanation of the text. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series and James Montgomery Boice’s commentaries are good examples of this type.
  3. Exegetical– These commentaries rely upon the original languages of the biblical text, and aid the Bible student in understanding the significance of the language, grammar, and syntax. Additionally, the exegetical commentary will give large sections of study to introductory matters, translational issues, contextual matters, and interpretive challenges. Although useful without the knowledge of biblical languages, they are most helpful to those who have a working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. The Hendriksen New Testament Commentary set and Word Biblical Commentaries are representative of this type of commentary.
  4. Critical/Technical– As far as traditional commentaries go, these are the most specialized. These commentaries deal with original languages, biblical manuscripts, and many other issues that are important to biblical scholars. Many (although not all) of the contributors to these commentaries are theologically liberal, and they are usually very expensive, although they often contain gold when the student knows how to use them profitably. Some examples of these commentaries would include the International Critical Commentary (ICC) series and Hermeneia Commentaries.
  5. Background-Normally biblical background information is included in most commentaries, but there are some commentaries that focus on this aspect in a commentary format (using book, chapters, and verses divisions). An example would be the IVP Bible Background Commentary.

So, how do I choose which commentary to use first, and does it really matter?

My System for Choosing Which Commentary To Use First

After I have studied the passage for myself, I usually will have several questions and observations about the text. But because of my study, I will have a good general understanding of the main idea. If this is the case, I will choose commentaries from the above categories and read them in this order:

  1. Critical/Technical
  2. Exegetical
  3. Background
  4. Expositional
  5. Devotional

I may not read any commentaries in categories 4 and 5 (Expositional and Devotional) every time. I’ll explain in a moment why.

The reason I begin with the harder and more technical commentaries and move toward the easier and more popular ones is because when I turn to my commentaries I am still wrestling with the text and any unanswered questions. I want to find the answers for myself from my work with the language, grammar, and syntax. If I move too fast to the expositional commentaries, I will be tempted to adopt the interpretation of the writer. And since they are human, they might be wrong. Until I have answered these questions for myself and my interaction with the biblical text, I need help with exegesis before moving on to interpretation.

After I have successfully understood the hardest ideas in the text, I move to the next level of commentaries. The expositional commentaries will help me understand how another pastor has preached and outlined the text I am studying, and a devotional commentary will show me how it has been illustrated and applied. If I understand the text well enough, application and illustration may begin to form easily for me and I won’t need to look at the devotional or expositional commentaries I have.

So, why not flip the order? Because I consider it “cheating” for me, since I will be given an explanation, outline, illustrations, and applications of a passage that I did not myself discover for myself. Additionally and most importantly, I am not trusting the Bible and the Spirit to inform my study, but instead am giving another human author a great amount of influence in my understanding of the Bible. When I teach the Bible, I want to have the confidence to say, “Thus says the Lord” because I have done the hard labor of study. If I cheat and simply read the fruit of someone else’s study, then I am not truly being a biblical expositor; I am simply a parrot.

But there is one exception to my rule when I will actually begin with either an expositional commentary or a devotional commentary. That is when I have studied the text in-depth for myself and I am left completely without a clue as to how I would preach or teach this particular text. I may understand the words, sentences, and paragraphs, but how I can teach this particular passage has stumped me. At this point, I will choose a faithful devotional or expositional commentary and read the section I am studying. This will usually help me see how the author taught it and clarifies for me the main idea to teach. At this point, I stop reading and begin going through the list as I gave it above, beginning with the more technical commentaries and moving down the list.

I don’t necessarily think that this method is the only way of using commentaries, but it works for me and helps guard my heart against taking the route which might cause me to shortcut my study. What about you? How have you used commentaries that have helped your study? What are your favorites and why? If you have any followup questions about how I use commentaries, let me know. I’d love to help.

Footnote:

[1] I’ve added the Amazon.com links to each of these commentary series’ to help you identify them. I have done this for reference only and don’t necessarily endorse everything in them. Also, I don’t gain anything from you purchasing a book through the link. Shop around, you might find great deals elsewhere. More money saved means more money for books!

Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” (Jeremiah 42:6, ESV)

It is a sad reality that people will sometime gather to hear the proclamation of the Word not truly to be instructed by the Lord, but instead to have their own desires confirmed. They come saying they want to obey, but in reality they have set themselves up in the place of God and instead want God to echo what their own heart wants. An when that doesn’t happen, then they reject both message and messenger.

This isn’t new. When Jeremiah was called to speak his words of prophecy, many spoke of their sincerity to obey whatever it was that the Lord said. But after his words were revealed, the ugliness of man’s heart was also revealed.

There are some churches that say they want expository preaching. They say they want to hear the Word of God explained and then applied. But then, when the Word is delivered, and particularly when their own pet sins are exposed, they reject both message and messenger.

Sometimes the teaching of Scripture is like lemon juice on a cut. Sometimes it is like a deep stab to the heart. Sometimes it is sweet as honey. May God’s people come to receive the Word from the Lord—good or bad—so that they can obey it. And may the messengers of the Lord not be afraid of what man may do to us. May we be faithful to deliver the message whether popular and well received or not, both in good or bad times.

Men, It’s Time to Man Up

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”

(1 Corinthians 14:33–35, ESV)

Right now in American evangelical churches a war is raging regarding the place of women in ministry. For me, passages such as the one above and 1 Timothy 2:12 make it clear that there are definitely limitations to the roles women can hold in regard to teaching in the Church.

First Corinthians 14:25 is Paul’s response to the women in the Church of Corinth who were disrupting the worship of the church with questions, introducing confusion. His solution? Ask your husband at home.

But here is the rub. In many Christian homes, the husband couldn’t answer many of his wife’s questions because he knows less Bible and theology than she does. Many men are not readers, and even less study–unless it’s sport’s scores. Traditionally, many men have left the “religious instruction” of children to their wife, and the largest sector of church attendance across almost all denominations is female.

So, as we think about the battle of the sexes in church, and how those of us that are complimentarian desire to follow the instructions of male leadership we believe the New Testament teaches, we need to work on beefing up ministry to men and expect more from them. We need Christian men to man up. Men who will open their Bibles and read them. Men who will dig deep. Men who are working to be equipped to defend the faith. Men who are willing to sit down with their wife and children and teach them from Scriptures–and not be fearful of those hard questions our wife might bring to us.

Men, our wives and children deserve better. Our churches deserve better. The Lord deserves better.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”

(1 Corinthians 13:11, ESV)

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

(1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV)

The Trustworthy Word of God

/ Richard Bargas / 1 Comment

“Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.”

(Psalm 119:137–144, ESV)

No Matter How People Respond, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 137-139)

The perfect name of the LORD, is rarely used in this psalm, and so it’s appearance stands out when it does. The LORD, Yahweh, is righteous. This is who he is. He does not exhibit righteousness, but is always in every way righteous.

Spurgeon says, “God is always right, and he is always actively right, that is, righteous. This quality is bound up in our very idea of God. We cannot imagine an unrighteous God.”[1]

And just as the divine Author is righteous, so too his word and works are all righteous as well.

In the next verse (v. 138), the psalmist states that as God, all his testimonies are commanded in righteousness. He does not suggest, but commands as the King. Such commands are all given in faithfulness because the King is both righteous and faithful.

Because of these traits which describe the Word of God, in v. 139, the psalmist says that he is passionate about the Scriptures, so that he describes himself as a man who is consumed with zeal for the Word of God.

But not everybody feels this way. God’s Word is righteous and his commands are faithful, but there are many of his creatures who couldn’t care less. They are described as “forget[ting] your Words.” How tragic that the creature would forget the Words of the Great King and Creator of the Universe and all Galaxies!

Isaiah 1:2-3 it says, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”” (Isaiah 1:2–3, ESV) 

Little children, and even less intelligent animals such as ox and donkeys know those who have raised and cared for them. If a donkey isn’t fed, or a child doesn’t get his afternoon snack, does he forget his owner or mother? No, in fact, he or she will cry out even more! But there are some who forget the God who has made them and gives them everything. And they do not care about his Word. It is not because his Words fail, nor are not true. They are righteous and faithful. But wicked men do not want God!

Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t matter how other people respond to the Word. His Words are righteous and true! His commands are not for us to consider whether we would like to obey or not. He is our Lord, and we will grow in zeal for his Word when we pursue him in it. So, no matter how other people respond to the Scriptures, we should set our hearts to follow our Lord to the very end.

No Matter How People Treat You, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 140-141)

 Like gold that has been refined and had all the impurities removed, the Word of God is pure, refined, and trustworthy. It will not fail you once every 10,000 times. It is pure.

Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6, ESV) 

The child of God loves the pure Word. He has put it to the test in life over and over again. He has walked in the light of the Word and it has never led him astray. He has grown over time to place his trust in this Book and he has grown to love it because it has revealed the heart of God to him.

But unlike what he said in v. 139, the foes of the psalmist do forget the Word. These enemies looked down upon him and they despised him. He is nothing to them. But his concern is not that he would become acceptable to them, seeking their approval.

The righteous man or woman of God desires to please the Lord first and foremost above all others. He does not want to join those that are the enemies of God. Instead he desires to stay humble and close to the Word.

Have you “tested” the Word of God and proven to yourself that it is very pure? It is one thing to read what the Bible claims for itself, but have you proven it by the way you have placed your trust in the Lord in challenging situations? 

In 1Pet 1:6-7 it says, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7, ESV) 

How are you responding to trials? Is it by faith or by the flesh? Are you leaning on the everlasting arms or are you leaning on your own understanding? Don’t worry about what others think or say. God’s Word is trustworthy, even if people think you are foolish for taking God at his Word.

No Matter How You Feel, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 142-143)

Speaking directly to God, the psalmist declares in verse 142 that the righteousness of God and his Word are timeless and unchanging. The Word of God is not time-sensitive, and outdated. Some people say that the Bible is old and we need a fresh word from God. The Scriptures are a fresh Word from God. They are more relevant than the morning news.

And unlike the news, the Word of God is true, and this goes farther than just containing truth. The news may contain truth, but the Word of God is truth. Just as God is righteousness, so too his Word is truth (Jn 17:17). Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and the Spirit is truth (1Jn 5:6). 

This attribute of God should be comforting to us. He cannot and will not lie. Not a shade. We have “grey areas” and “little white lies” but God has truth and that is all.

Verse 143 demonstrates where the comfort of God is needed. We are not told what the trouble and anguish are in the life of the psalmist, but it appears that they are internal and external troubles. He has trouble that may come from his foes, and internally he is in anguish. But the pain is not all there is. There is so much more. He does not allow his trials to consume him but instead he finds “delight” in God’s Word.

As Christians, we can still find joy from the Word of God in the midst of his pain. God has given us the capacity to feel pain. That is a God-given gift. Can you imagine if you couldn’t feel pain? Those who lose feelings in their bodies often unknowingly destroy their limbs because they can’t feel when they hurt themselves so they will stop it. And God has given us pain to drive us to him and his Word as well.

The foolish and the unbeliever act similarly in this way—they refuse to go to God. But in doing so, they remove from themselves the blessing of pain, which is to drive them to prayer and instead it drives them to a darker place where they will find neither answers nor joy.

No matter how you feel, the Word of God is trustworthy. 

No Matter How Long You Might Live, God’s Word Is Trustworthy (vv. 144)

The testimonies of God are never ending in their righteousness. His words are eternal Words. When you and I speak, our words are like vapor. They come and go. We do not know most of the words spoken by most men of all ages. But God’s Words, every one of them, never cease in their power and effect.

The sun, moon, and stars will continue going as long as the Word of God spoken in the beginning is not rescinded with another command. God’s Word will not fail and it will never cease.

Because of this, the psalmist prays that his desire might be fulfilled, that he could cling to those eternal words of life and be given understanding of them. He wants wisdom and knowledge, and he wants to obey, but most he wants to know the righteous God who spoke them. This is where he will find life.

Of course, he is alive, but true life and true living can only occur through knowledge of the living God. To not know God as revealed in his Word is to be dead, even while you live.

The oldest person ever whose age has been verified is Jeanne Calment (1875–1997) of France, who died at the age of 122 years, 164 days.[2] For a human being, that is an amazing lifespan. Now, I don’t know if this person knew Christ, but I do know that the Word of God is righteous forever, and that included all the living days of Ms. Calment.

When the old Christian Polycarp in 167 AD, was asked to deny Christ or be put to death, his answer is so sweet. He said, “Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and Savior?”[3] 

We don’t know if Polycarp was 86 years old or he was converted 86 years before, but the fact remains, Polycarp was an old man and he found the Word of God, and the God of the Word trustworthy for as long as he lived.

Polycarp was burned at the stake and then pierced through with a spear because he refused to offer incense to Caesar. Caesar is not lord, Jesus is Lord. He would not deny his Master.

No matter how long you live, cling to the Word of God, for he is trustworthy. While you have life, seek to understand the Word of God so that while alive, you might live life to the fullest in Christ Jesus.

As I have prepared sermons, there have been many occasions when I have tried to find the source of a quote that I want to use. On many occasions, I find out that many books may use a quote, but nobody can seem to find out where that quote came from. Many times people will say that Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, or Jonathan Edwards said or wrote something that simply cannot be trusted as their actual words.

The other day I wanted to use a great quote I found supposedly from Albert Einstein, but nobody knew where or when Einstein said it. The saying was untrustworthy, and for all I know, Einstein may have never written or spoken those words.

But the Bible is always trustworthy. Satan and his workers may try to twist it for their own uses, but interpreted properly, it is trustworthy and perfect. It is trustworthy no matter what others do, or what they say, or feel or however long you live. The Word of Life is eternal. Do not substitute anything for it.

[1] Treasury of David, 5:390.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_verified_oldest_people

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarp

Seeking and Thinking Upon the Right Things

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

With the new year ahead of us, many people are making all sorts of New Year’s Resolutions—new diets, new Bible reading plans, new commitments to exercise more. We have all heard of the truism: “You are what you eat.” In many ways, this statement is true! If you feed your body well, you will generally have better health and more energy. If you feed your body a steady diet of junk food, then the results are somewhat predictable. But think with me for a second about this saying’s spiritual counterpart: “How we think effects how we behave.” Perhaps in this new year, we as Christians could use a little re-focusing on how we think.

Consider the truth of Romans 6:11: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11, ESV). If we think about the reality that we as Christians have died with Christ on the cross to the power of sin, then we can find victory as we strive to live holy lives. This sort of thinking will have a serious impact on the way we live our lives.

In a sense, we are living corpses. We are dead to ourselves and alive in Christ (Col. 2:20). We have been buried with him (Col. 2:12), have been raised up with him (Col. 3:1) and have been seated with him in the presence of God the Father (Col. 3:1). If we can get our heads around what this means, it will have a huge impact on the way that we live life now.

Colossians 3:1-3 says, “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, ESV)

In this blogpost, I’d like to look a little more closely at this idea of seeking the right things and how that affects our thinking as Christians.

Background

As we begin, it would be helpful to take some time to remember the situation the church of Colossae faced. They had this false teaching that was spreading what was a mix of Jewish ceremonialism and a false teaching that would later be called Gnosticism.

Jewish ceremonialism demanded that they follow all the rules and regulations of the Old Testament, while failing to see that those ceremonies pointed to Jesus Christ (Col. 2:16-17).

Early Gnostic mysticism demanded ascetic living, angel worship, and visions while simultaneously taking the focus off of Christ (Col. 2:18-19).

One form of Gnosticism failed to see the symbolism of the Old Testament ceremonies and rituals that pointed to Jesus Christ, while the other form placed the focus on lesser beings and self-affliction to gain greater access to God. Both forms of this false teaching led the people away from God through rituals, ceremonies and false philosophies. The motivation for seeking God was man-made traditions and rules. And both failed because they did not address the heart and the mind.

So, Paul, in these four verses (Col. 3:1-4) turned from these false teachings to the true motivation given for pleasing God and living a victorious Christian life that replaces man-made rules and traditions. This brings us back to the truth I stated at the beginning: How we think effects how we behave. In Colossians 3:1-4 we find two keys that will unlock for us the real motivation for living for Christ that deals with the heart and the mind before it deals with the flesh.

1. Seek the Things That Are Above (v. 1)

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1, ESV)

Paul begins by giving to us the counter to the false teacher’s approach that he has just finished discussing in Colossians 2. “If then” is a conditional statement that really could be translated “Since.” Since you have been raised with Christ. What has happened as a result of being raised with Christ? We died to sin according to Romans 6. And according to Colossians 2:12, we were buried with Christ in baptism (“having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” (ESV))

The very next verse (Col. 2:13) adds that not only did we die to our sins with Christ, but we were also made alive together with him at his resurrection. Paul once again reminds his readers of this fact in 3:1. Since we have been raised with Christ, Paul is saying, seek the things that are above. Really, Paul’s grammar tells us that he means, “Keep on seeking!” This isn’t a one-time deal. We are to keep on seeking. Paul is saying that since we are those who are truly spiritually alive, who have our lives in Jesus Christ. Therefore, let us place our goals, aspirations and dreams upon those things that are above, where our lives are at—with the Savior who is not on earth, but sitting at the right hand of the Father.

Whereas the false teachers were placing their sights upon earthly goals, Paul says that what we ought to seek is far above—in heaven. In other words, our values system changes when we see ourselves as being alive with Christ in heaven. We stop seeking primarily after the things on this earth because our lives are not here on earth, but in heaven with Christ. Our attachment to earthly things will be evaluated with this truth. We will have a different standard of value for material possessions because we have treasure laid up in heaven. We will not be concerned about gaining honor from men, because we are enthroned with Christ—and there is no greater honor than that. We will not seek after earthly power, because we have all power in Christ. We will not chase after fame because we have already gained the loving approval of our heavenly Father.

All of these things that men seek after are earthly things and the one who grasps the reality of what he or she has in Christ will not seek after them with the same hungering and passion as the unredeemed man. We may need and use earthly things while we are here, but we will not spend an inordinate amount of time or energy chasing them because we see their true value in the light of what we already have in Christ.

2. Set Your Mind on the Things that Are Above (vv. 2-4)

“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. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:2–4, ESV)

Like the command in verse 1, this is also given in the same tense and could be translated, “Keep on thinking on the things that are above.” Keep on thinking about heavenly things. Some people say that some Christians are “Too heavenly minded to be any earthly good,” but I think that the real problem is that too many Christians are not heavenly minded enough to be any earthly good. Our eyes are on this world and not on heaven.

Paul reminds us why we ought to have this heavenly focus in verse 4. Christian, you are dead, he writes. You are no longer a citizen of earth. Sure, you need to live here for a few more years, but this planet is not your home. You are a visitor. Don’t unpack your bags! You are an alien, a foreigner in a strange, distant land, so don’t get too comfortable! This isn’t your home. Your old life—it is gone! You died. You are no longer the same person. You died and have been reborn a different person. So, don’t focus your mind on the things on this fallen earth, rather think about the things in your true home where Christ is.

When I was little boy, I went to a Christian camp in California called Indian Village. It was the first time that I had been away from home by myself, not counting staying over my grandparent’s house. I got so homesick at camp. I thought about the food at home and my toys and my bed. I especially thought about my mom and dad and my little brother. I was so unsettled, that I refused to take a shower for several days. That is until my camp counselor helped me get over the embarrassment by letting me shower after everyone had left camp for an activity and I was allowed to shower in my swim trunks. That teepee tent I slept in at night for a week was not my home, and I was not going to get used to it. I eventually settled down some and even had a good time, but I was ready to go home when the buses came!

Colossians 3:3 says that our real life is hidden with Christ, who is in heaven. Life is not here—it is waiting for us in heaven. We are somewhere between heaven and earth, as Jonathan Edwards said, not a part of either heaven or earth right now. Our feet are on earth, but our heads and hearts are in heaven.

What is our motivation for this change in our thinking? Verse 4 tells us that the motivation for living in this truth is that when Jesus Christ comes (and this is sure, although the timing is unknown), then our real life will begin, and we will really start living. We will appear with him in glory. Just as we died with Christ and were buried and were raised up with Christ, when he returns, we will share in the glory. We will see the unifying of this strange existence into one. Heaven will come down and we will no longer be torn between heaven and earth. We will then be with Christ in heaven where our hearts and minds are. Everything will be made right. We, as pilgrims, will finally be home.

What are you seeking after? Heavenly things or earthly things? If you are seeking after earthly things, you will eventually leave them all behind. You can’t take them with you, and even if you could, they would be worthless in light of the treasures of heaven.

What are you thinking on? Heavenly things or earthly things? Have you unpacked your bags and begun to settle in? Have you forgotten your true home? Are you home sick? You should be. You should have a mental picture of heaven and the Lord and it should be so vivid that you can’t be truly happy to remain here on this broken planet. May we all be like the Apostle Paul, who would stay here for the blessings that he could bring the church, but he would much rather go home to heaven (Phil. 1:21-24). Paul’s eyes were set heavenward. Where are yours?