5th Sunday of Lent

Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts; don't spend your time worrying about things down here. You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God. And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories. Colossians 3:1-4 (TLB)

So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever, 2 Corinthians 4:18 (TLB)

Dave Escalona lives in Batangas, Philippines. Their deck was damaged in 2020 by the strongest typhoon on record at that time. After the storm, Dave tried to use a hammer and nails to repair it. But he wasn't strong enough and the nails still stuck out from the boards. His dad took over and drove the nails all the way in. As Dave watched him work, he asked why it was so important to ensure the nails were completely hammered in. He reminded Dave that the second most powerful typhoon in the world had blown through seven years before, making clear the importance of securely fastening the boards since more storms would likely come their way.

When Paul said to fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, he understood how easily we can shift our focus to the temporal distractions around us. When we become distracted, we are like loose boards, unable to withstand the storm. When we firmly fix our eyes on the Lord, as securely as a nailed-down board, we do not need to fear any storm. In the Lord, we are secure.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us not to place our focus on what is temporary, but rather to fix our eyes and hearts firmly on you, in Jesus' name. Amen.