Colossians 3:1-2 By Pastor Jeff

  Posted on September 3, 2023  by   No comments

“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.”

                                                                        – Colossians 3:1-2

          Living in Wisconsin and Minnesota, to a certain degree, means that you enjoy/don’t mind/tolerate/loathe the winters.  Regardless of your winter preferences, most everyone thoroughly enjoys all that summer brings.  “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31a); “The heavens declare the glory of God…” (Psalm 19:1); “The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3b)  But a problem I can have with living in such a beautiful area though, is my heart.  I find that as I enjoy God’s glorious creation, there can be a tendency to grow comfortable in this comfort and beauty.  I think we all do.  When we aren’t living in present adversities, we can easily grow lethargic, taking our minds off of that which is most important.

          Thankfully, there’s been a particular verse in the Word of God that helps shake me out of this stupor, 2 Timothy 4:10 – “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.”  Paul previously mentions Demas in Colossians and Philemon as a fellow worker with him.  Whoa.  Someone who has been helping Paul in ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ has abandoned him, not because of a dispute or an emergency, but because of Demas’ heart.  He loved this world.  And this was not something that, all of a sudden, came about on a whim.  This had been an ongoing pattern within Demas’ life that he refused to put to death, but instead nurtured.  This was an active love; an active delight that did not  direct his heart to Jesus Christ, but away from Him.  May our Savior guard and protect us from such dangers!  We naturally are aware of physical dangers, but spiritual ones aren’t as nuanced, unless we continually have Jesus in front of us.  We must stay close to Him.  It is literal spiritual life or death.

          Do I long for our Savior’s appearing or have I grown comfortable in this world, even allowing my affections to be drawn to and focused on this present world?  Do I seek after things that are on earth or things that are above where Christ is?  This is why we daily need to be in the Word and in fellowship with one another, reminding each other to persevere in this world.  It’s easy for all of us to grow comfortable here, God did create an amazing planet for us to live in!  But we must be focused (setting our minds) on the spiritual things of our lives, guarding our hearts from sin and distraction.  And may God’s glorious creation direct us to worship Him.  So, let us press on in giving thanks to God for every good and perfect gift, acknowledging Him as Lord and Father, while remembering that this is not our home.

looking to Jesus,

pastor jeff