another reccuring theme

Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will be raised with him in glory.

It is really uncanny how my devotional book lines up with what I've been thinking about. Last night, as I drifted off to sleep (okay, I was really tired, so really just right before I conked out) I read Colossians 3.

I love that chapter. I have used that chapter to combat many doubts and temptations. When you feel utterly out-of-sorts, here is an anchor: set your heart on things above. Set your mind on things above.

On Sunday, the pastor at the French-English church I've been going to preached about a very very basic part of the Christian faith: belief in the resurrection of the dead.

He hammered the point. There is an eternal hope that we look forward to.
He reiterated this point.
I struggled to pay attention to this sermon, it was on the repetitive side. But I know that it is an important thing to know, especially for new believers.

So it was an hour of repetition and reiteration of the same point. I have a hard enough time sitting still for a lecture as it is.

I thought, I got it. One day we will all be raised to be with Christ in perfection.

But then conviction came.
If I really believe that Christ has been raised from the dead, if I believe that someday I will be raised, perhaps my life should look different.

Perhaps it should look like this:

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ~ I Corinthians 15:58

That is what Paul states at the end of his writing in I Corinthians about future resurrection. As a result of true belief in that doctrine, the above should be happening.
Standing firm.
The wholehearted giving of oneself to God's work.
Knowing that what you do serves a purpose.

It is one thing to know that one day Christians will be raised, it is another thing to act on it.
If I act like I believe that there is a future hope, little worries and details shouldn't get me down.
My life, the essence of who I am, should be hidden with Christ in God.

To contemplate what kind of life that should be is exciting, it's daring.
It is exciting because it means NO FEAR.
It means that God is in control and that he can use the one surrendered to Him to do great things.
I know that on my own, I simply can't do things for God. It's really sad, the times that I've acted out of my own volition to do a good deed. Without doing it as obedience to God, it just feels… empty.

The times when I have prayed, Just use me, Lord. Whatever you have for me to do, I will do.
He has answered! Opportunities come, and I find a joy in doing them. They are usually things that I find happiness in completing, things that suit my talents.
So I encourage you, if you are not already, to remember that there is a future hope, a future excitement, and that if you surrender to God, He will use you in exciting, fulfilling ways.