Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. Colossians 3:1-4
Do you have trouble keeping your mind on the things of earth instead of the things of God? Many days I must admit that I do. It is so easy to let the things of this world take the forefront, isn't it? After all, we do live IN this world. We walk it everyday. We are inundated with some type of noise almost non-stop -- whether it be our news, our entertainment, our music, our email -- it is always going. Much of it is good.. but so much isn't.
No wonder it is a struggle to focus on God. I like how Paul follows up his statement of keeping our minds on things above with "... hidden with Christ in God." I think this is probably the key to keeping our mind on things above. If we stay close to God, if we seek him openly, if we edit out what isn't good around us (at least as much as we can control) then we are staying "hidden with Christ". If we are hidden, isn't it much easier to focus on God and keep our minds on Him?
As I was thinking thru this passage of scripture I tried to think of specific areas where myself or people I knew struggled with focusing on the truths of God rather than the truths of this world. Here are a few that came to mind....
* Am I only beautiful if I am tall and slender, or do I know that I am beautiful regardless because I am a child of God?
* Am I only complete if I am married and/or have children, or am I complete because God is my salvation?
* Am I only successful if I have an important job and makes lots of money, or am I successful because I am following God's will for my life?
If we are focusing on God, if we stay hidden in Christ, then we know the truths are....
* We are all beautiful regardless of how we look because we are children of God's and made in His image.
* We are complete because God is our salvation regardless of marital status or children.
* We are successful because we are following God's will for our lives.
In closing, I'd like to share a paragraph from my study guide "Cappuccino with Colossians" by Sandra Glahn.
Do you have trouble keeping your mind on the things of earth instead of the things of God? Many days I must admit that I do. It is so easy to let the things of this world take the forefront, isn't it? After all, we do live IN this world. We walk it everyday. We are inundated with some type of noise almost non-stop -- whether it be our news, our entertainment, our music, our email -- it is always going. Much of it is good.. but so much isn't.
No wonder it is a struggle to focus on God. I like how Paul follows up his statement of keeping our minds on things above with "... hidden with Christ in God." I think this is probably the key to keeping our mind on things above. If we stay close to God, if we seek him openly, if we edit out what isn't good around us (at least as much as we can control) then we are staying "hidden with Christ". If we are hidden, isn't it much easier to focus on God and keep our minds on Him?
As I was thinking thru this passage of scripture I tried to think of specific areas where myself or people I knew struggled with focusing on the truths of God rather than the truths of this world. Here are a few that came to mind....
* Am I only beautiful if I am tall and slender, or do I know that I am beautiful regardless because I am a child of God?
* Am I only complete if I am married and/or have children, or am I complete because God is my salvation?
* Am I only successful if I have an important job and makes lots of money, or am I successful because I am following God's will for my life?
If we are focusing on God, if we stay hidden in Christ, then we know the truths are....
* We are all beautiful regardless of how we look because we are children of God's and made in His image.
* We are complete because God is our salvation regardless of marital status or children.
* We are successful because we are following God's will for our lives.
In closing, I'd like to share a paragraph from my study guide "Cappuccino with Colossians" by Sandra Glahn.
In her book Prayer Is a Place, religion editor Phyllis Tickle says, "What a limited and chipped lens one person's mind is for reflecting the world to itself." What masters we are at deceiving ourselves. That's why we need regular intake of God's truth through the Word and interaction with fellow believers. How much of a priority are these for you? How well do your actions line up with your priorities?
5 Thoughts Shared:
this is a great post as I have struggled with many of the same questions in younger life and as I watch my daughters struggle I continue to let them know that all will be o.k. and that God loves them and others should be able to see beauty inside and out. My girls are beautiful but every young lady Iknow deals with the same sort of situation
I have been struggling on and off with your first question there. There are days I see myself as beautiful in God's eyes... and then days I feel terrible because I don't look 'just so'. Sigh.
I love the truths you ended with.
:)
That's where my hope comes from.
Thanks for sharing.
Timely post, Melanie. God's been challenging to get my thought processes back on track; as you know, there's been a lot going on and right now, life is a balancing act for me. One I'm not managing too well. Thankfully, I see the need to stay close to Christ and have intentionally placed my life in a posture of intimacy with Him everyday, despite the chaos.
Where would we be without Him?
Thanks for this. peace~elaine
Excellent and insightful thoughts. Thanks so much for sharing your heart.
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