Biblical Success - Running Our Race - the "D" Vine StrategySample

A disciple who would bear much fruit cultivates, nourishes, and lives life on earth with an eternal perspective of life. An eternal perspective is a view that understands that we live on earth for only a very short time and that eternity in heaven is a big deal. This worldview leads us to focus our lives on what will matter most in the life to come.

The eternal perspective dwells in the plain truth of Ephesians 2:10, which identifies us as intentional and purposeful creations of God “His workmanship” sent to live on earth to “do good works” that He planned “prepared” for us to walk in “beforehand” (when was anything beforehand concerning God?) Only before He created the heavens and the earth!

Our arrival on the planet was not an accident of nature or the result of biology. We are here now, where we are, as who we are, with what we have to work with by God’s plan as a key part of His Eternal Plan. There was never an “us” before, and there will never be another. We have been given things to do that are important to our Father. No one else can do them.

Disciples with the eternal perspective accept that assignment and commit, as the only truly worthwhile thing to do, to seek and strive to understand God’s plan and will for them and then to do it as well as they can for as long as they can. To be all that God intended for us to be and do all He planned for us to do. Do I hear an amen?

But unless we abide in Christ, it won’t happen, at least not for us. Jesus said in 15:6, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” And in verse 7, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.”

At least nothing of eternal significance. There are other things. We can choose to focus on them and abide by them. Let’s call them “things” and “stuff.” The whole focus of “the world, the flesh, and the devil” is to distract us from the eternal perspective and entice us to focus on worldly stuff; shiny, pretty baubles that have no value in heaven.

The eternal perspective uses “things” and “stuff” like Jesus did as a means, not an end. He used things; they never used Him. Jesus leveraged everything into what had eternal value. He was focused on what mattered. Should we do less?

Tomorrow we will talk about fruit, what it is and what it isn’t. Press on!