Give 'Em Heaven

Philippians 1:27 "Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel."

I’ve noticed that when I sniff around my sin and my shortcomings, I smell the vile stench of this fallen world.  Social media skunks. Negative news nellies. Jealous gossip junkies. Bitter brutal barbarians. 

What I mean by that moment of my attempt to be poetic, is that we are called to be set apart from the world, and when we examine our sin, we see that it looks a lot like the world around us. No wonder God calls us to be different, act different, “smell” different, metaphorically speaking. 

Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

• The world says, “speak your truth,” but the Word says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6

• The world says, “manifest your reality,” but the Word says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

• The world says, “fame, money, and sex will fulfill you and make you happy,” but the Word says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world… For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world…but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 

• The world says, “Give ‘Em Hell,” but the Word says, Give ‘Em Heaven!

Zak and I started saying this phrase, “Give ‘Em Heaven” to each other while we were dating as a reminder of our purpose here on earth. I feel like most families have their cute and cheesy sayings like this, but I have recently been diving deeper into what ours truly means. 

Although the Free Dictionary says that “Give ‘Em Hell” has become “an exclamation of encouragement for someone who is about to participate in something,” the phrase still holds a very negative connotation. It is also known as giving someone a hard time through aggressive actions or attitude. 

I feel as if that is exactly what the Word tells us NOT to do. 

• Rather than putting people down, we should be “[encouraging] one another and [building] each other up…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

• Rather than being so caught up in competing and beating our opponents, we should be focused on becoming all that God has called us to be and “[pressing] on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

• Rather than speaking whatever is on our mind no matter if it stings, we should “be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20

Don’t get me wrong. I am the first to admit my struggle in these areas. I am naturally more of a confrontational, say it to your face, competitive as all get-out kinda gal. However, leaning into this Give ‘Em Heaven mindset doesn’t mean you sweep things under the rug and get walked all over. Jesus in his righteous anger flipped tables in the temple because they were dishonoring his father's house.

So, let me dive into what Give ‘Em Heaven DOES mean. I believe it means so much more and am asking that God will keep teaching me through his Word all of what this phrase could convey. But for starters… 

• Live life with an eternal perspective and vantage point. 

  • Colossians 3:2 "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

  • Put to death your earthly nature and do not keep living in sin. Turn to Jesus, ask for forgiveness, and clothe yourself with kingdom apparel such as love and kindness.

  • When we live knowing there is the hope of heaven waiting for us, we are motivated to live with purpose and to share with others the gospel!

• Share Jesus- give ‘em what we all need.

  • Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

  • Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave us the Great Commission (our mission- to share this good news!)

  • When we Give 'Em Heaven, we are giving them the greatest news of all time and a hope to anchor their life on- hallelujah!

• Speak the truth in love.

  • Ephesians 4:15 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."

  • The truth is worth fighting for. But we must fight like Jesus, not like the world. Honestly, this one is incredibly hard for me.

  • Jesus spoke with love and kindness, he forgave, he did not condemn, he gave grace, and he fought for unity and healing.

  • Be bold! Matthew 10:27-28 "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

• Compete to be your best in whatever God has called you too and encourage others to do the same.

  • Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

  • Competition shouldn't mean comparison. It should mean becoming your best self. My dad told me this when I was playing volleyball and it freed me up to be a great teammate, even to the girl I was "competing" against.

  • Rather than treating our opponents or "enemies" with a Give 'Em Hell mentality, we can chose to share Jesus with them through how we carry ourselves and how we compete to be our best.

  • Working hard at whatever God has called us to is a way in which we can serve the Lord and Give 'Em Heaven.

REFLECTION:

If we are citizens of heaven, then we are called to live for what lasts. We aren't called to live for climbing the corporate ladder, making a name for ourselves, becoming rich, getting married, or anything of the sorts. Paul's mission statement in life is Philippians 1:21 "To live is Christ, to die is gain." Now that is a great way to sum up "Give 'Em Heaven.

Are you waking up each morning, fixing your eyes on things above, pressing on towards the goal, and striving to live your life worthy of the gospel?

If not, re-surrender (we have to do this often) and ask God for His strength. We do NOT have to do this alone; we CAN NOT do this alone.

Psalm 46:1-5 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day."

Give 'Em Heaven,

Delaney Burnett