“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth,” Paul the apostle writes (Col. 3:2, KJV).
The significance of this verse is that how you think greatly influences how you live. If you think small, you will live small. Think big, and you will live big. Earthly thinking results in earthly living. Set your mind on things above, and you will be heavenly focused.
This mindset God calls us to have is not incidental to becoming a Christian. If it was, there would be no need for Paul the apostle to challenge us to be focused on things above. It would be automatic upon our accepting Christ.
Some Christians think that because they remain predominantly worldly in their thinking that they must not be bona fide Christians. But one can be a genuine Christian and overly worldly-minded at the same time. Hence, Paul’s appeal in the verse above.
We Have Been Changed to Think on Things Above
We can answer the divine call issued in the verse above because God never requires us to do something He has not equipped us for. Upon accepting Christ, He changed us and empowered us so we can live the life He is calling us to. We became partakers of the character of Christ. We received the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us daily. Moreover, He gave us His Word of God to transform our thinking. It always focuses us on the will of God and on things above.
We may claim that our mind is set on things above. But talk is cheap. Our mindset is known by what we do and not by what we say. One can’t effectively make the argument that his mind is set on things above when he lives a life consumed by earthly interests. A mind set on things above cannot be arrived at by simply tweaking a few aspects of our life. Rather, it requires us to die to ourselves so we can live for God.
We determine what kind of relationship we will have with Christ. Will it be ho-hum, or will it be awesome? The Christian life consumed by the concerns of this world constitutes a mediocre life. By contrast, a life characterized by obeying the will of God and making the things of God our priority yields spiritual vibrancy. God calls us to the latter.
Through Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, we have been sufficiently equipped to answer this higher calling.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.