Focus!

Focus!

IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. Colossians 3:1‭-‬2 AMPC

Today's extract starts with a conditional statement, and I would have to satisfy the condition if I am to enjoy the attendant benefits. We love the blessings of increase, favour and riches, yet we do not take the time to find out what needs to be done to enable us access the blessings. We want to turn God into a magician who dispenses pleasures without responsibility.

Today's control is my understanding of who I am and where I am. When I know these, then what I do and how I do it flow out of this understanding. When Christ died, he opened the door to a new life, a deeper understanding of who God is and a closer walk with God. I cannot rise to the heights of the heavens if I do not start at the foot of the cross. Everything I can rise to become was settled at the foot of the cross. Through his death, eternal life became free and available. Because he died, I do not have to die, and because He lives, I can look to the future with hope.

God should be my focus. Every other thing around pales in comparison to the eternal blessings available in Christ. There is nothing else that should hold my heart and attention. I am asked to set my mind on what is above. Why would God not do it for me, or force me to do it? It is because serving God only makes sense when it is done out of a heart of devotion, not compulsion.

Things down here are always for a season; times come and go, and if you live long enough, what came around the last time will always come around again. It will be a grave danger to pattern my life after such ephemeral themes like connections, possessions and talents. Things up there are forever, backed up by the promise of One whose word has remained the same long before creation, through the times and seasons, and will remain the same all through eternity. That's the God who calls me into a special relationship with Him, and asks that I give him my life. Can I trust Him with my life? Can you? His time of favour is here.