Why do so many believers lose sight of their eternal hope? Why do so many Christians take their eyes off the prize of their heavenly dwelling place, the City of God? In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef warns against the earthly concerns that distract us from eternity.
If you would like more insight into today’s devotional topic, watch or listen to Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon How Shall We Live Now?, Part 5: WATCH NOW | LISTEN NOW
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[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: You are listening to MY Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way.
[00:00:08] [SPEAKER_01]: The Focus of Heaven by Dr. Michael Youssef.
[00:00:13] [SPEAKER_01]: In every false Gospel, the Focus is on us, on our political views, on our well-being,
[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_01]: on our good works, on our own interpretation of God's Word, on our personal experiences.
[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_01]: In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Focus is on Jesus. His death is burial, his resurrection.
[00:00:33] [SPEAKER_01]: All false Gospels are human-centered. The one true Gospel is Christ-centered.
[00:00:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Even the hope of Heaven is focused not so much on us and our enjoyment of Heaven,
[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_01]: but the fact that we will be in Heaven with Christ.
[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Why do so many believers lose sight of their eternal hope?
[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Why do so many Christians take their eyes off the prize of their heavenly dwelling place, the city of God?
[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_01]: I believe we lose sight of our eternal habitation for five reasons.
[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_01]: First, we have a false perception of Heaven.
[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_01]: There are many distorted images of Heaven in our culture, keeping us from desiring the wonderful
[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_01]: Heavenly City Jesus has prepared for us.
[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Second, the pressures of this life eclipse our vision.
[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_01]: The problems of our daily lives can still are heavenly, Focus.
[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Third, the allure of this life blinds us to the unseen reality of Heaven.
[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_01]: Because of our nature, the things that we see with our eyes get our attention,
[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_01]: the visible world tugs that our thoughts and emotions, as the saying goes out of sight, out of mind.
[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Fourth, the worldliness of the church, models how we think about Heaven, Christians in the early church had very simple goals.
[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_01]: They lived and worked to glorify God and to spread the good news of Jesus Christ far and wide.
[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_01]: They didn't plan for retirement. They planned for eternity.
[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Fifth, false teaching leaves us ignorant and deceived.
[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Many pastors have quit teaching about Heaven and Hell. They focus on whether themes are popular, successful living, improving your relationships,
[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_01]: repairing yourself a steam, and other human-centered subjects.
[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_01]: We must let the true gospel inform our view of Heaven.
[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Then our joy will overflow as we look to the awesome promise of eternity with Christ.
[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: Let's pray together.
[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: Lord may we focus on the object of our faith, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:02:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Then may we take the joy and the promise of eternity with Him whom our hearts love.
[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_01]: We pray this in the name of Jesus, amen.
[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: If today's devotional encouraged you, we'd love to hear about it.
[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Leave a review and share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it.
[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_00]: My devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusse.
[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: To learn more, visit ltw.org today.