Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
It can be easy to get caught up in the concerns of this world. If we watch the news, or even listen to our neighbors talk, there is so much that can set our hearts and minds adrift. We can spend days floating aimlessly in worry and fear. And right now, there seems to be booster shots of events and feelings that reinforce any worry or fear we have.
It can be hard to stay anchored in times like these. But we do have Someone who doesn’t shift like changing shadows. The LORD can be relied upon to provide stability in times like these. But how do we access the peace that He can provide?
Our text is set in a sequence that began at the beginning of this chapter. Paul writes that we are to set our hearts and set our minds “on things above.” Where we put our hearts and minds matters. If we only feed our hearts and minds of things of this world, and give no place for the eternal, we are easily swept away the the torrents of life.
And our verse for today gives us the reason we need to shift our focus to heavenly things. It may sound harsh, but Paul tells us the reason we need to refocus our hearts and minds is that we have died. Our relationship with this world is only temporary. We have begun a relationship with the LORD, and this world is coming to and end.
But it is more than that. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, and now we are alive in Christ. When that happened, we came alive toward heaven and we died toward this world. This world should no longer have the pull on us that it once did. We died to this world.
And this is why in the following verses Paul instructs us to “put to death” the things that are connected to this world. We died with Christ, and we now live for Christ, we have the responsibility to put to death those things in us that are connected to this world, the desires that run contrary to the nature and character of God, for we are made in His image.
Since we bear His image, our lives should be reflecting that image. There is a renewal process happening in the Jesus-follower, powered by the work of the Holy Spirit, and moved along by our obedience. We have the responsibility to put things to death. He prompts us, we respond.
Our life is not of this world any longer. We died and our life is now in another place and reality. We are in Christ. We joined Him and now our citizenship is in heaven. We are no longer earthlings.
So what do we do if we are spending our hours and days concerned about the things of this world, its evil and troubles? We must set our hearts and minds on Christ. We must spend time reading, meditating, and praying through the Scriptures. We must get God’s perspective on our lives. We died. We must live like we are dead to this world.
But we must also live like we are alive with Christ in God. There should be a change in our behavior. We should exude thankfulness and praise. Everything we do should reflect our death and our new life.
Then people will see the hope we have, and they will be prepared to hear the Truth we have to offer. There will be an authenticity about our lives that will attract those whose focus has been consumed by the troubles of this world. They will see a hope that transcends the ups and downs of this life.
The Arnold Journey 