May 17

Colossians 3:1-2
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

The whole chapter is summed up in these verses. We lose the battle when we set our minds are the “earthly” or “fleshly” things. First of all the word for “set our hearts” is to seek. To seek is “to desire to have or experience something, with the probable implication of making an attempt to realize one’s desire”. To set your minds is “to keep on giving serious consideration to something—‘to ponder, to let one’s mind dwell on, to keep thinking about, to fix one’s attention on.’” When we set ourselves, our focus, our desire on the things of Christ and the things of heaven, then we will realize them in our lives. This isn’t some kind of Jedi mind trick, it is the power of God working within us. We have the ability to choose focus and therefore choose behavior. Let me give you an example.

If you are in church, after a couple of hours of worship, the presence of God is thick and you are experiencing His touch. You have danced to Him with a sacrifice of praise and you have felt His touch of refining fire and wept before Him. You have experienced His embrace of love and have received faith through the realization of the Word of God which He ministered to you. What would happen if someone offered you, right then, drugs, sex or money they stole from the church? Too easy to say no? What if someone started to complain about the pastor or worship team or started to share some juicy gossip? It wouldn’t touch you would it? It would fall off you like water off a raincoat.

Focus on God, heaven and His Kingdom all day long. Put everything in the context of the cause of Christ and watch what happens! Get filled in the morning, and stay full all day. Don’t let your attention be stolen! Back to the song, “I put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh!” It is the putting on of Christ that will in turn make no provision for the flesh but will make provision for heaven to flow through you!