Vision

This past Sunday in church, we sang the old hymn, "Be Thou My Vision." The pastor then taught from Colossians 3:1-17. As he did so, my mind was thinking of the last verse of the hymn and its relation to this passage.

High King of heaven, my victory won,

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

In Colossians 3:2, Paul wrote that we are to set our minds on Christ. My Thomas Nelson NKJ Study Bible notes, "Christians must continually discipline themselves to focus on eternal realities, instead of the temporal realities of the earth." Focus is vision.

The pastor made the comment that when we lose focus, only bad things will happen. And Proverbs 29:18 warns us that without vision, people perish. However, just as the hymn tells us, when we keep focus, when we keep our mind set on heaven's Sun, Christ, our victory is won.

But how do we maintain focus? How do we keep our vision?

Paul gives us the "how" in verses 16 and 17, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (NKJ)

My Bible comments that these words to the Colossians parallel Paul's words to the Ephesians where he wrote for believers to "be filled with the Spirit." In essence, to "let the word of Christ dwell richly in you" is the same as being filled with the Spirit. Vision comes from being filled with the Spirit, and the result comes out in the way we live life. In fact, my Bible's notes conclude that "the result of being filled with the Spirit or the word of Christ is singing." We certainly read in Scripture that Paul's life was a life that sang.

But there is one more thing we need to remember about these two phrases. Each is not a onetime thing. These are moment by moment things. As the Colossians passage indicates, these are things we do with intention, with focus, with vision set continually on Christ. That reflects what the hymn tells us, "whatever befall." This is the theme of "Be Thou My Vision."

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art

Thou my best thought by day or by night

Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light

Be thou my wisdom and Thou my true word

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord

Thou my great Father, I, Thy true son

Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise

Thou mine inheritance now and always

Thou and thou only first in my heart

High King of heaven my treasure Thou are

High King of heaven my victory won

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun

Heart of my own heart whatever befall

Still be my vision O Ruler of all

The Lord in us dwelling—a lived out vision of oneness with the Ruler of all, the Lord of our heart.

Our Most High God, we offer praise to You, the One who is seated on the Throne. May You be our Vision as we live out life on this earth until we reach heaven's joy. In the Name above all names, Jesus, amen.