Keep Your Eyes “on the Things Unseen”

1-2. Why did the first-century Christians need to keep their eyes “on the things unseen”? (2 Corinthians 4:18)

IT SEEMS impossible. How can a person keep his eyes on something that he cannot see? Yet, that is precisely what the apostle Paul urged first-century Christians to do. (Read 2 Corinthians 4:18.) What did he mean?

² Christians in the first century were enduring much hardship. Paul said that they were “hard-pressed,” “perplexed,” and even “persecuted.” (2 Cor. 4:8, 9) Nevertheless, he told them to focus on their hope, “the things unseen,” rather than on their trials, “the things seen.” Christians who would follow this exhortation would benefit in two ways. First, they would be better able to endure their hardships. Second, they would be better equipped to make wise decisions that reflect confidence in their future reward.​—Heb. 11:1.

3. Why do we need to keep our eyes on God’s promised new world?

³ We are in a similar situation to that of the first-century Christians. During these difficult times, it is easy for us to be consumed by our trials. After all, we are faced with problems every day. That is why we need to keep our eyes on something that at present we cannot physically see​—God’s promised new world. (Ps. 37:10, 11) Doing so will remind us that our trials, no matter how severe, are temporary.​—2 Cor. 4:17.

4. How should faith in Jehovah’s promises affect our decisions in life? Illustrate.

⁴ Besides helping us maintain a balanced view of our trials, serving Jehovah “with everlasting life in view” will affect the way we use our life today. (Jude 21) To illustrate, a woman who is pregnant hopes to give birth to a healthy child. Each day, she thinks about what life as a mother will be like. But she does more than simply imagine her future. She makes decisions now to protect her health and that of her unborn child. In a similar way, our hope is to live in God’s new world. But we need to do more than just imagine ourselves there. If we have strong faith in Jehovah’s promises for the future, it will affect the important decisions that we make in life now. Let us consider some Bible examples of individuals who kept their eyes on the fulfillment of God’s promises and made good decisions in line with their hope. Then we will see how our faith can help us endure trials and make wise decisions.

ABRAHAM’S FAITH HELPED HIM OBEY

5-6. (a) What promise did Jehovah make to Abraham? (b) How did the faith of Abraham and Sarah affect their decisions? (Genesis 17:1, 2, 6) (See also picture.)

⁵ Abraham received a life-changing promise. Jehovah told him: “I will make you a great nation.” (Gen. 12:2) Even though Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were elderly and childless, they had faith that Jehovah would carry out his promise. They demonstrated their faith by obeying Jehovah’s command: “Go out from your land and away from your relatives . . . to the land that I will show you.”​—Gen. 12:1.

⁶ For Abraham and Sarah, that meant leaving behind a stable life of comfort and moving from place to place and living in tents. (Heb. 11:8, 9) What helped them make such a sacrifice? Their eyes were fixed on something that they could not yet see​—a son through whom a great nation would be produced. (Read Genesis 17:1, 2, 6; Heb. 11:11) That hope was just as real to Abraham and Sarah as any comforts they had in their hometown of Ur. In time, Jehovah’s promise began to be fulfilled with the birth of their son, Isaac.

7-8. Why was Abraham ready to obey Jehovah’s command to sacrifice Isaac?

⁷ Years later, Jehovah told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, who was then about 25 years old. Why was Abraham ready to obey that command? Because his eyes were fixed on something that he could not physically see​—the fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise to him. Jehovah had told Abraham: “Your offspring will be through Isaac.” (Gen. 21:12) Even though Isaac had no children at the time, Abraham “reasoned that God was able to raise [Isaac] up even from the dead.” (Heb. 11:19) Abraham’s faith in God’s ability to resurrect his son was remarkable, since up to that point, there was no record of anyone being resurrected. Abraham had so much faith in Jehovah’s words that it was as if he could already see Isaac’s future descendants.

⁸ Jehovah stopped Abraham from following through with the sacrifice. (Gen. 22:11, 12) Nevertheless, that man of God “as good as offered up Isaac.” (Heb. 11:17, 18) Abraham proved by his actions that his eyes were fixed on the things unseen​—the future fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise.

MOSES’ FAITH HELPED HIM MAKE WISE DECISIONS

9. (a) During Moses’ early years, what was the situation of the Israelites? (b) What was Moses’ situation in his early years?

⁹ Moses’ parents likely taught him about Jehovah’s promises to Abraham. Among those promises was the assurance that God’s people would receive the land of Canaan “as a lasting possession.” (Gen. 13:15) But how would that happen? The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. Moses was mostly unaffected by the plight of his fellow Israelites. As an infant, he had been adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, and as he grew up, he was “instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” (Acts 7:22) Nevertheless, Moses showed that he was focused on something else.

10. When Moses was 40 years old, what decision did he make, and why? (Hebrews 11:24-26) (See also picture.)

¹⁰ Read Hebrews 11:24-26. When Moses was 40 years old, he made an important decision. He chose “to be mistreated with the people of God.” Why? The Bible says: “He looked intently toward the payment of the reward.” Moses’ eyes were fixed on something that he could not physically see​—the fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise that the Israelites would receive the land of Canaan. Having a part in the fulfillment of that promise meant more to Moses than all the wealth and prominence he likely had in Egypt. Later, Jehovah told Moses: “You will bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”​—Ex. 3:10.

11. How did others in the Bible show that God’s promises were real to them? (Hebrews 11:39, 40)

¹¹ The Bible contains many other examples of men and women who had faith in what God promised. (Heb. 11:31, 32) To them, the fulfillment of Jehovah’s promises was just as real as the world they lived in. Yet, they will not experience the complete fulfillment of those promises until they are resurrected in the new world. (Read Hebrews 11:39, 40.) Meanwhile, we benefit from seeing how their faithful acts supported Jehovah’s purpose. How can our faith help us endure trials and make wise decisions?

OUR FAITH HELPS US ENDURE TRIALS

12. How can faith in Jehovah’s promises for the future help us deal with our trials today?

¹² We have been promised something that at present we cannot see​—a new world in which we can enjoy life forever. (2 Pet. 3:13) Faith in that promise can help us deal with our trials. For example, although we may at first feel devastated when faced with a serious illness, our outlook can eventually become positive. Why? Because we have faith in God’s promise of a new world where “no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’” (Isa. 33:24) Like Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and others, we can “see” Jehovah’s promises as if they were already fulfilled.

13. (a) Why is it good for us to picture ourselves in Paradise? (b) How can we make sure that our thoughts about the future are based on more than just our imagination?

¹³ One way to build your faith in Jehovah’s promises is to picture yourself in Paradise. What will it be like to live in perfect health, to enjoy peace, and to welcome back loved ones who have died? The artwork in our publications as well as our videos can help you to picture yourself in God’s new world. However, your faith should be based on more than just a vivid imagination. Your faith needs a solid foundation. With that in mind, is there a particular Bible prophecy or account that strengthens your faith in God’s promises? Do certain Bible passages strengthen your conviction that Jehovah’s purpose will be realized? Meditate on such scriptures. In doing so, you will build your faith on the solid foundation of God’s promises.​—Heb. 6:17, 18.

OUR FAITH HELPS US MAKE WISE DECISIONS

14. How should faith in God’s promises affect our choices with regard to entertainment?

¹⁴ Faith in God’s promises helps us make wise decisions in life. Consider our choice of entertainment. The debased content found in much of today’s movies, music, and TV shows will not exist in God’s new world. We know this because Jehovah condemns violence, sexual immorality, and spiritism. (Ps. 11:5; Rev. 21:8) So why be entertained by such things now? And if we are entertained by them, can we really say that we are keeping our eyes on Jehovah’s promised new world?

15. How have some allowed God’s promises to guide their decisions regarding their use of leisure time? (See also picture.)

¹⁵ Each Christian must make personal decisions with regard to how to spend leisure time. In order to make Jehovah’s promises for the future real, some parents have included activities that build appreciation for Jehovah and for his organization. For example, one married couple who raised three daughters in the truth say: “We often visited Kingdom Halls or branch offices when we traveled so that we could strengthen the family’s appreciation for the worldwide brotherhood.” Another couple who also raised a family relate: “We enjoyed spending time learning about creation. We would invite other families to join us as we visited museums and aquariums.” These families spent their leisure time learning about Jehovah’s creation and getting to know our brotherhood. This helped them to keep their eyes on the things unseen.

16. How should God’s promises for the new world affect our priorities? (1 Corinthians 7:29-31) (See also picture.)

¹⁶ Read 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. Faith in God’s promises can also help us make wise decisions regarding material things. Obviously, we need to provide for ourselves. At the same time, our priority is not to accumulate possessions. Why? Because the Bible says: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.” (1 John 2:17) We believe that statement, and we show it by the decisions we make. With our eyes set on God’s new world, we avoid making use of the world “to the full” by putting the interests of God’s Kingdom first in our life.​—Matt. 6:33.

17. What decisions have some been able to make because of their faith in God’s promises? (See also picture.)

¹⁷ Faith in God’s promises can also affect decisions we make about our future. For example, as young ones grow to adulthood, they might wonder: ‘What kind of career will I pursue? Will I get married? Will I raise a family?’ These are personal decisions, and each choice brings along blessings and challenges. (1 Cor. 7:28, 37, 38) The question is, Do your decisions demonstrate your conviction that this world is temporary and that the real and permanent life is to come? (1 Tim. 6:19) Many young ones have shown such conviction by pursuing some form of full-time service. They have no regrets. Instead, they have come to realize that “there is great gain in godly devotion along with contentment.”​—1 Tim. 6:6.

18. How can faith in Jehovah’s promises bring us blessings even now?

¹⁸ As we have learned, faith in Jehovah’s promises for the future can bring us blessings even now. Our faith in the new world to come can help us endure the trials we face today. It can also help us to make wise decisions about how we use our time and what we put first in our life. We eagerly look forward to the day when all of Jehovah’s promises will be fulfilled. In the meantime, let us be determined to keep our eyes “on the things unseen.”