Month: April 2023

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2

            I was recently reminded that we will always get what we seek. This doesn’t mean that every time we seek something, we’re sure to get it. It just means that if we’re seeking one thing, we’re not likely to get another. For example, if we sacrifice family time in our search for success and money, we’re not likely to have a happy family life, whether we receive earthly success or not. Or if we seek ease and comfort, we’re not likely to find health instead. It can be very sobering to be reminded of this truth.

            What are you seeking? What is first and foremost on your mind and in your heart? According to this scripture, we are to set our minds on things above. The verse before says that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God above. So setting our minds on things above is setting our minds on God. But how do we do that? Do we spend our days with our eyes closed in prayer? Please don’t do that while you’re driving! Or cooking or walking or any number of other daily activities. That’s simply not practical. Nor is it practical to read our Bibles all day, or not listen to anything but Christian podcasts. We have to think about other things once in a while!

            I think one of the ways we set our mind on things above is found in the way we think about all the daily and often mundane things we need to have on our minds every day. For example, when you think about your to-do list for the day, do you approach it with an “I can do this” attitude, or are you asking God for His power and help? If you are thinking of the day ahead with some measure of trepidation or even dread, are you stopping to praise God in the midst of it? Are you thanking Him for all He provides and for His presence in each and every situation? If the mundane tasks are done in an attitude of praise, not only will we have our mind set on things above, those tasks will suddenly cease being mundane and will become a joy!

            Another way we set our mind on things above is our treatment of others. Do we see each and every person we come in contact with as a beloved creation of God, made in His image, deserving of His love and care? I recently heard of someone who asked a sales clerk if they could pray for her and she burst into tears, admitting that her son had just committed suicide. Are we seeing an angry or obnoxious person as someone who is hurting and needs to experience the love of God?

            Of course, the only way we can do any of these things is to continually run to God ourselves. God does answer our little “arrow” prayers we shoot up throughout the day, but if that’s the only time we spend with Him, we’re going to burn ourselves out pretty quickly. We need to have our times of prayer and study of His word to strengthen us and grow us. Those arrow prayers are a little like dialing 911 to God. How much better to have Him already on the line and have the conversation already started! When we do that, the earthly things that make up our days will automatically take a back seat to the truly important matters of eternal significance.

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them – the Lord, who remains faithful forever. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Psalm 146:5 & 6, 147:5

Reading my last few posts from over a year ago (!), I’m reminded of that time. A time when I was so overwhelmed for so long that it finally culminated in health issues as well as mental and emotional strain. I realize now that my posts and all my prayers of that time were actually cries for God to help me. And He did! That season was followed by a time of such deep rest and soul repair that I can only praise God for the work He has done in my life! He recently led me to these verses. I was actually looking for a verse to use for a new experiment I’m going to try. I plan to memorize these verses and recite them every morning, hopefully before I even get out of bed. I want something to focus my attention on God, not me or my schedule or my plans or problems. But on Him and who He is.

Why did God lead me to these verses? I have a feeling I’m going to find the answer to that as time goes on. But the question makes me want to take a deeper look at them. The very beginning tells us that we will have problems. Notice it doesn’t say “if” we need help. Oh, we need help all right! And we’re blessed indeed when we rely on God to help us. Not the world, not other people, and not ourselves. All of those things will let us down. Especially ourselves. Not only will we let ourselves down, we will cause real problems for ourselves and for those who love us when we rely too heavily on just us.

Not only is God our help. He’s also our hope. This word is not talking about wishful thinking. It’s not “I hope I have a good day today.” Or “I hope I get to go to Hawaii.” Rather, this kind of hope is a sure thing. When it says our hope is in God, it means that we can rely fully and completely on Him to bring about what He has promised. Did you know that God always keeps His promises? Not sometimes and not half-way. Always. We can rely on that. We can and should put our hope in Him and Him alone. When we put our hope in someone or something else, it truly is wishful thinking. But when our Hope is in God, that’s when it becomes a hope we can lean on.

What do these verses say about God Himself? First, He’s the creator of everything. Did you ever stop to think that not one of us is able to create? We can be creative with elements that already exist. But not one of us can create something out of nothing. Only an amazing God can do that. And just look at what He created! From the diversity of the animal and plant worlds to the complexity of the universe and our bodies, His creation is beyond comprehension. What does that say about the Creator?

Not only is He beyond comprehension, He is mighty and powerful. It takes a lot of power to create that much and keep it operating in exact precision. How many humans do you know of who have power and use it only for their own good? I’m so thankful our God isn’t like that! His power is so much greater than the most powerful human who ever lived, and yet He uses it only for our good. Only He knows completely what is best for us because only He understands us fully. He understands us, the world, our past and even our future. He understands it all. Our understanding is so miniscule compared to His! And yet He loves us unconditionally! What an amazing God and so worth of our praise!