Having my pie and eating it too . . .

John Piper calls it “future grace.” This refers to the promises of God that will happen in the future, but that give His people encouragement for the present time. This amazing grace is expressed in these verses. 

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17)

Christians are sometimes accused of a “pie in the sky” religion that gets us thinking about heaven to the point that we are no earthly good. There is nothing like that expressed in Scripture. As the above verses say, our eternal comfort and good hope have a purpose; it establishes our hearts so that we can speak and do good things.

This is practical. Today I woke up with a sore throat and feeling like I didn’t want to get out of bed. Thoughts of God began drifting into my mind, thoughts that came from Him. I know this because if left to my own, I’d quickly succumb to self-pity. I got up and ready for the day, then began reading the Bible. I was reminded of how I was lost in sin and am now blessed by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

As I read these verses in 2 Thessalonians, I thought about the promises of God for eternity — where there will be no more tears, sickness or sorrow. A smile formed. Those aches didn’t vanish, but they didn’t seem so pressing. Instead of thinking about myself, the Holy Spirit put other ideas in my head — thoughts of the goodness of God and thoughts about how I can honor Him today.

Simple? Yes, but important. When I am thinking about myself, this is continually reflected in my words, such as complaining, bragging, or whatever else points to me. When I’m thinking about God — and this happens because of His grace — then I can speak to the needs and interests of others, even telling them or showing them the love of God, a totally different approach to life.

The joy and promise of some day being with Jesus fills my head with thanksgiving and worship. Those thoughts produce different words and actions than thinking about the pains and pressures of life. This is what the Bible says they should do. That means faith is never pie-in-the-sky. Instead, it puts my head in the right place. Besides comfort, the love and hope that comes through grace is entirely practical.

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God, You are amazing. Just thinking about heaven and the delights of eternal life that You promise has given me great encouragement for this day. I’m not sure what You have in mind, but I thank You for putting my mind on You. I know that no matter what the day will bring, You will take care of my body. Thank You for also taking care of my heart. Instead of being wrapped up feeling sorry for myself, You have wrapped me in Your grace and comfort! 

(photo credit)