What does it mean to “set your mind on things above”?
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
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Series: Colossians on Work
Devotional: 3 of 4
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
The third chapter of Colossians starts with a stark reminder that as Christians, we have “died” and our “life is now hidden with Christ.”
What does this truth mean for our work? Does it mean that we are no longer to care about our work and the things that captured our attention pre-salvation? Is that what we are to assume Paul meant by his command that we “set our minds on things above, not on earthly things”?
Not at all. If that is what Paul meant, he wouldn’t have called us to “work with all your heart” just a few verses later (Colossians 3:23). Paul is not calling us to forget about work or “earthly things.” But he is calling us to completely replace our motivations for work, aligning our hearts with the heart and agenda of our Caller and working to reveal the characteristics of His Kingdom here and now.
Immediately following the passage above, Paul calls us to “put to death” the things that may have characterized our work pre-Christ, including sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, and lying (see Colossians 3:5,8-9).
Paul says, “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived” (verse 7), but again, we Christians are called to “put to death” our sin and “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (verse 10).
Our new selves look starkly different than our old ones, clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, unity, peace, and thankfulness (see Colossians 3:12-15).
Turning our minds away from “earthly things” doesn’t mean that we turn our minds away from the work God put us on this earth to do. It means that we continually work to replace the character of our old selves with the characteristics of Christ.
As you begin your work week, I’d encourage you to spend a few minutes meditating on the characteristics listed by Paul above, allowing the Holy Spirit to show you which aspects of your old self you still need to put to death in order to become more like Christ at work.
We take captive every thought and make them obedient to Christ. No thinking of the sins we used to do, have control of those thoughts don’t entertain them they can return you to that old vomit.
So wherever your mind is so is your heart ❤️
Saint Paul apostle Paul did a 20 years stretch. So he gave many years to jesus and he sitting very well up in heaven
2 cor 10:3-6
Your heart and mind should be thinking like Jesus and saying things that Jesus would say or do. Our words should match what’s in the Bible. Our thoughts of work is on the work we will do for the kingdom. Live on earth as it is in heaven. Love and showing love daily is a part of keeping our hearts and minds on things above.
Call Dana 20 years stretch, so he gave many, many years time to the Lord. And I bet you he sitting in a wonderful mansion up in heaven. I can't wait jesus is lord
Thank you, This is beautiful
Thank you Shirisa!
Thanks 😊
Complete renunciation is first step toward god .
Which said in all religion go on solute place and meditate on jesus only all day ,all night give him your all heart ,mind
If you see in all religion you will find simalities that there god is in heart of all living being
There is one god formless but also have infinite form
You cannot love which is formless it is hard to because your mind will not fix at it
Jesus,krishna,buddha ,Allah all are one god reveal himself in different form to different people.
Believe in your heart, what Jesus did for all of us on the cross? They buried him. He spilled his precious blood. He Rose from the dead. He's alive and well next to his father. And his fiction to come pick up his children hallelujah
Did you really know that verse by heart? I never saw your eyes shift away from the camera. 😛