Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1[1]
There’s lots and lots of people and things that get pieces of our attention. But there’s only a few that immediately rise up to the top and grab giant chunks of time. Money. Interest. Emotional energy. These are the focus of our life.
Which brings up the question, what’s the focus of our life? What’s the one thing that’s more important than anything else? What immediately gets our attention? What are we willing to drop everything for? Who’s that someone special that we immediately answer? Or get up to talk with?
Paul’s telling the Colossian church that Christ is to be the one and only priority. Period. He’s at the top and nothing’s to be anywhere close to him. He’s God come down to bring us up to himself. To bring us newness of life. To make us his children. And because of this, we need to always remember how this happened. The “how” is that we were raised from the dead with Christ. This isn’t some imaginary resurrection. Not some fairytale of a coming back to life. Not some legend about someone who didn’t really live.
Oh no, Jesus was a real person and he really died. But he didn’t stay dead. He really, really, really was raised from the dead. He physically died and he physically was raised back to life. He left death behind when he came back to life.
Jesus wasn’t an imaginary person or some legend. He was real. A real person. He was born. Lived in the Middle East some 2000 years ago. He wasn’t an angel. He wasn’t a spirit. He was someone that you could see with your eyes. Hear with your ears. Touch with your hands[2]. So, when Jesus died on the cross, he paid for all our sins. Past. Present. Future. His resurrection is the living proof that he’s both God and a man. It also shows that God accepted his sacrifice, his payment for us. In our place.
The result is that the Colossians and all Christians are to be constantly and actively focused on things above. This isn’t a suggestion. It’s not something to be casually thought about when it’s convenient. It’s to be the thing that motivates us all day long. It’s where our heart and mind are to be. It’s to be the focus of our lives.
Staying focused is impossible for me. My brain is going 100 miles per hour in 10,000 different directions. My idea of staying focused is if I can put together five words without going off on three different tangents.
But my life isn’t supposed to be like that. I’m to be focusing on the things above. I’m to be about my Father’s business during my short time here in this life. What does setting my heart on the things above look like?
About who God is.
About how I was lost.
About how Jesus brings me back to him.
About Jesus changing every part of my life.
About spending eternity with my loving Heavenly Father.
About how I can bring as many friends as possible to come along with me.
And what is Jesus doing up in heaven? Is he wringing his hands? Is he worried about what’s going on down here on planet Earth? Is he concerned about the upcoming election? Or what’s happening in the stock market? I’ll tell you what Jesus is doing – he’s sitting. That’s right, he’s sitting on his throne next to God the Father. He’s not jumping up and down trying to get our attention. He’s not looking at his cell phone to catch up on the news or his social media feed.
You might ask why he’s sitting? Because it’s already done. It’s finished[3]. Everything that he needed to pay for our sins, to bring us back to God has already been accomplished[4]. You don’t sit down if there’s work to be done. But Jesus can sit down because our salvation, our redemption is 100% complete.
Just think about that for a minute. Everything we’d ever done against God and people has been completely forgiven. It’s all paid for. No more guilt or shame before the holy, eternal God that made us to be with him forever.
That makes us free. Free from the crushing weight of our past. Free from trying to make ourselves better and better. Free to love, worship, and serve God without anyone or anything between us. Free to love and serve people without trying to get something from them.
Imagine that. Not trying to impress God or anyone else for the rest of your life. Free to be the person God made you to be. Free to willingly obey God because he loves you, not out of guilt or trying to impress him. No wonder Paul encourages the Colossians to set their hearts on Jesus. What could be more important or satisfying than setting our hearts on Jesus. The short answer is nothing.
Noodling Questions
Why does setting our heart sound weird? Why don’t we work on it?
How do you spend your time and money on the things that are important?
Explain how being totally forgiven sets us free.
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Bible references are from the New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
[2] 1 John 1:1
[3] John 19:30
[4] John 17:4
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