10/19

Colossians 3:1-3

¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

When we come to Christ as our Savior, we recognize the crucifixion of our sinful nature with Him on the cross. We also consider ourselves to have risen with Him to newness of life. Baptism is a picture of those experiences. Going under the water is our burial with Him in death. Coming up out of the water is the picture of being raised to new life in Him.

Since that should be true of everyone who is in Christ, we then must set our hearts on things above. This is an imperative command. It is not something that just happens naturally. It is an action that you must take. Of course, the Holy Spirit will direct and help you to do that. Without the indwelling presence of Christ, it would not be possible. We are to set our desires with intentionality on heavenly things, on pleasing the Father, on heavenly rewards, and on eternal truth. Christ is there at the helm of the universe directing all things to be brought together under His rule.

We are also directed to set our minds there as opposed to earthly things. When we focus on the temporal, our perspective becomes distorted. Only by fixing our minds on the eternal will we have the right perspective and desires. This, too, takes an effort on our part, and is possible only through the power of the Spirit at work in us. For most of us, this transformation of our thinking will make more of a change in our lives than any other practical step. Before we came to Christ, we formed ruts in our thought patterns that were ungodly and destructive. We must recognize them for what they are and refuse to go down the old paths. We must consciously replace those thoughts of the temporal with that of the eternal. The more we set our thoughts there, the easier it becomes as we develop godly thought patterns.

Consider: If your life is in Christ Jesus, have you determined to set your desires and thoughts on things above? What areas have you ignored? What will you commit to today so that you will set you heart and mind above?