Colossians 3:1-4If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.As I have mentioned before, we have, as a community, been working through the book of Colossians slowly but surely over the past few months. It has been an incredible experience... it is an incredible book.
We have wrestled with what it looks like to, "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord"... and sat in awe as we gazed at the, "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." We have meditated on the ideas of faith and hope AND searched the depths of, "the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints." We have prayed for one another as each of us embrace the centrality of the cross and learn what it means to, "walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith..." and not, "captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world..." And of course we have begun to deepen our understanding of the tremendous theme of thanksgiving in Colossians by beginning the spiritual discipline of thankfulness.
And now we round a bit of a corner.
Like the fold in the middle of a book.
A focus point in an incredible work of art.
A lit candle in a darkened room.
Look HERE Paul says... So we don't forget the point... So we don't move to quickly ON... So we don't move to QUICKLY... So we don't MOVE... away from life.
The author of Hebrews says it this way, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." Paul knows we need this reminder. In the midst of busy schedules and busy lives how do we move forward with courage? Without the rules (or leashes) of religion how do we trust our steps... our "walk"? Paul tells us that if we are in Christ we do this by seeking (literally with all our hearts) the things above... setting our minds on those things... the things of Christ... the things of REAL life.
But what does this look like... in REAL life?
1 comment:
Great stuff Tim. In response to your question, "What does it (setting our minds on Christ in real life) look like?", I think we find at least some of the answer right there in chapter 1. In verses 9-11 Paul offers us a pathway to understanding. It kinda reads like a wisdom sandwich: we pursue divine understanding, which displays itself in God-honoring on-the-ground living, which leads to even more understanding.
In these few verses Paul seems to undermine the "being or doing?" debate by implying that wisdom (which is pretty much living life with a mind set on Christ) happens as we ponder, practice, and pursue.
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