Having an Eternity Mindset: Persevering with Purpose

Understanding Eternity and Perseverance

We're looking at what it means to persevere with purpose through faith by diving deep into the scriptures to learn about the ancients of the faith, how to walk in faith, and having an eternity mindset by looking to a heavenly country.

You may have heard the phrase, "Have an eternity mindset," but what exactly does that look like? I used to think I understood what this meant until I experienced where my very soul was deeply longing for heaven.

The Ancients of The Faith

To understand how one would have an eternity mindset we have to look at what faith is and what Hebrews 11 calls "the ancients of the faith."

The ancients of the faith are those who lived by faith such as Abraham, Sarah, Issac, Noah, Moses, Ruth, etc.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Faith is the confidence in what we are hoping for and assurance about the things we do not see. Without having this type of faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11 breaks down what faith in action looks like. I would encourage you to go read that whole chapter, as we are only going to be looking at a few examples.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:6, 8-9

Not Receiving the Reward on Earth

A crucial truth emerges from Hebrews 11: all these faithful people did not receive the promised reward during their earthly lives, even though they lived by faith with reverent fear of the Lord.

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is the type of faith we're called to embrace and live out in our own lives.

Moses willingly chose to be mistreaed along with the Jewish people rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He chose the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob over the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward (Hebrews 11:23-26, NIV). Whoa.

Hebrews 11:36-40 says,

“Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

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This is what it looks like to not only understand looking to eternity, but to live it out.

When these believers maintained an eternity mindset, they were able to persevere with purpose. They weren't chasing after rewards—they were in pursuit of God Himself. All the ancients of the faith had this in common - they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one.

Understanding the Heavenly Mindset

So what does it truly mean to have a heavenly mindset? Let's examine what Scripture teaches us.

Hebrews 10:23-25, 36-37 says,

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, 'In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.'" ‭‭

The people who persevered with purpose understood they were foreigners and strangers on this earth. They had genuine faith and believed in God's promises. They held onto the hope that they professed waiting for the second coming of our glorious king.

As followers of Jesus, the One who gave His life for our reconciliation with God, we must live this way as well. Looking ahead to our heavenly home. We must live as foreigners in this world, not conforming to its patterns. If this truth can take deep root in our lives, we will be empowered to persevere with purpose.

Our Eternal Inheritance in Yeshua

Though we suffer here on earth, in Yeshua our Messiah, we have an eternal inheritance that cannot be shaken or destroyed.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:3-9, NIV‬‬

Because of Jesus, we have been given a new birth into a living hope. We possess an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept secure in heaven for us. Praise the Lord!

How can you put into practice living out your faith and keeping an eternity mindset?

Eternity is For Everyone

Do you know and believe in Jesus as God and the work he did on the cross? Your answer to this question determines which side of eternity you will experience.

Matthew 25:34, 41, 46 says

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

For the one who has given their life to Jesus will spend eternity with him, but the one who has rejected the free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from God. God's heart is for all to be saved, but the choice alone lies with you.

John 3:16-18 says,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

Prayer for Salvation

If you've never given your life to Jesus and you're ready to recommit your life to Him, I am going to invite you to pray this prayer with me, but before that you must know - These words themselves are not what save you.

It happens within your heart. These words are an outpouring of what God is doing in your heart and mind. A heart of repenting from the ways of the flesh (walking in sin) and turning from that way of life. And choosing to pursue God. Professing you believe he is who he says he is and choosing to follow him.

Prayer this prayer:

"God, I know that I am a sinner and the only way for me to be made right with You is by the blood of Jesus and the work He did for me on the cross. I believe You are who You say You are. I believe that Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for my sins, and rose again three days later. By His blood I am saved. I pray Your Spirit would come into my life and make me born again. I repent from my sins and will strive to pursue You. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

Next Steps

If you prayed this prayer, I would love to hear from you! Please email me or send me a direct message about your decision to follow Jesus. This is just the beginning of your journey!

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Remember you are so loved, valued, and cherished by God.