A PASTOR'S HEART

Eph. 1:18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people.
I would love to have a pastor like the Apostle Paul. He had a genuine heart for the people of the church. He was always teaching them and guiding them into a deeper walk with God. He put himself on the line as an example to be followed. He prayed over the church often and asked the Lord to watch over her and bless her with a deeper walk. Paul was an encourager and always admonished people to be looking ahead instead of behind them.

In our text for today, Paul expresses his heart's desire for the church. He longs for the church to be so caught up in the Gospel light that she would become captivated by the wonderful future in store for her.

Part of the reason why so many struggle in their walk with the Lord is that they live no farther than the moment they are in. If things are good, they are good, but if things are bad, they are devastated and thrown for a loop. So many of us are controlled by our circumstances to the point where our faith is dictated by them. Many of us cannot handle things that make life difficult for us. They tend to turn on God and blame Him for their difficulties. They get the idea that if the Lord really loved us we would not have to suffer or go through hard times.

When we understand the bigger picture and get excited about what is in store for us in eternity, we are far better equipped to handle things that would otherwise upset us. We need to be a heavenly-minded people. Whatever we go through in this life is only temporary. As children of God we shall live forever in the glory of God's holiness. Life then will be all good and never bad. There will be no trace of sin or it's devastation. God has things in store for us that we can't even begin to imagine. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and not your circumstances.