See and Seek

Col. 3:1-3

 If 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.

If I have been risen with Christ, and I have, then my life must be totally different. Instead of looking horizontally at what the world has to offer, I must look above to see and seek the things that are there. The choice is simple, things above or things on earth. Perhaps the problem comes in the fact that the things that are above are intangible and eternal while the things on earth are very tangible, sensory, and short-lived. Because the here and now has such a strong appeal, it's easy to forget that these things are temporary. 

Since Christ lives within me, as does His Holy Spirit, my senses and my vision are satisfied by very different things. The eternal things: resurrection life, eternal life, worship, prayer, love, the Fruit of the Spirit, etc. become vastly more important. So much so that they are extremely desirable. Even though this sounds like the things of the earth would be overshadowed to the point of extinction, it's not really true. The more I feed my Spirit from His word, the more I desire to see and to seek, but in an instant, the things of earth can pop up and lead me away from the things that really matter. My body of flesh is ever seeking it's old stomping ground.

Paul wrote to encourage these believers as well as to instruct them. They were to see and seek what is above where Christ is. There is the key! I am seeking Christ, and Christ means a living relationship. It's not like the things that are above are in an elaborate, heavenly storefront just there for the taking, like a quick fix. No, it's a relationship, and all relationships take time to grow and develop. I am to see and seek Jesus Christ! And I can only do this when my mind is set. What is a mindset? I think it is the focus or lens through which all else is perceived. If my lens is Jesus Christ Himself, then all the world offers will be seen clearly as tawdry, dissatisfying, foolish, and unbelievably short-lived. Why? Because all that the world offers is based on a lie! Satan, who calls the world's shots, is the father of all lies. What he promises will never come true. His actions and temptations are nothing but vain counterfeits. So of course, why wouldn't I want to look above. 

Finally, added to my personal relationship with Jesus my life is hidden with Christ in God. Hidden from whom? No doubt Satan and all his cohorts who seek to undo my life. I think that once I am consistently seeing and seeking, I will understand more and more what this means on a practical level. In order for me to be hidden, I must have died. Just as Christ died and was raised again, so must I. The imperatives for me are: seek the things that are above, seek Jesus Christ as a relationship, constantly remember that I have died to this world, and live like my life is hidden with Christ in God. 

Father,

Thank You for raising me to new life in Christ. Help me to see and to seek the heavenly things. Give me wisdom to strengthen my relationship with Christ, to understand what it means to be hidden with Christ in God, and to be dead to this world. 

In Him,

Amen