“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (Psalm 46:10) We have likely heard the phrase, "Be still, and know that I am God!" - yet I wonder if we realized the rest of the verse actually declared the 'absoluteness' of our God's reign? There is no implication that there is ever room for any other gods in this reign - HE will be honored by EVERY nation - throughout the entire world. Try as some might, no other 'religion' or 'exalted being' will ever stand against his reign. Perhaps this is the basis of our 'being still'. We can know with an absolute assurance that he is in control, no matter what calamity befalls us. Nations will rise up against nations; men will war against men; ideals will be displayed as 'the best' - yet God remains supreme, fully in control, aware of every nuance and idea. He will never forsake his rule - he will never allow our 'stillness...
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3) The word 'since' suggests a completed act - it is based on something having happened. Between something happening (you having said yes to Jesus) and the present time, you have been raised to new life. You are no longer living according to the same standards, desires, or plans. Now we set our sights on something 'higher' than we ever set them before. Our focus changes - we no longer maintain an 'earthly only' focus but learn how to refocus our attention on Christ. Too many times, we focus on the earthly things and don't spend very much time at all focusing on the things God wants us to learn about him. We get consumed by jobs, household chores, and all...