Paul the apostle told the
Colossian church members that they should “seek” and “set”
their affection “on things above” and not “on things
on the earth”. The idea
was to “long for” and “strive for” things which are eternal
and not temporary. In chapter three and verse three of his letter to
the Colossians, Paul gives the reason why their attention should be
toward heavenly things. We read:
For you are dead, and
your life is hid with Christ in God.
The
verse begins, “For you are dead,” Paul employs the word
“For” which is a conclusion word that means “because, on
account of, assuredly, verily or truly”, and then he adds, “you
are dead” which refers to “being drawn away from the
sensibilities of the world”. As the Colossians knew their “dead”
position toward the earthly and temporary things, they would be
more inclined to look toward the heavenly and eternal things.
The
verse goes on to say, “and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
In addition to being “dead” to the world, Paul adds
that the church members' “life is hid” or “concealed”
“with Christ” or “within Jesus Christ” “in God”.
No longer were the Colossian church members exposed to the elements,
desires and passions of the temporary earth, but they were “hidden”
within Jesus Christ who is eternal and everlasting.
Once
again Paul has the Colossians and us thinking about where our
passions, affections and desires are set. Once we receive Jesus as
our personal Savior and Lord, we are as though we have “died”
to the temporary things of the world, and we have been brought to
life in the eternal things of heaven. An easy test to determine which
things are eternal and which are temporary is to ask, “what will
matter two hundred years from now?” Things of this earth will be as
“dead” to us as we are to them, and things of heaven will be as
eternal as we are when our “life” is truly hidden “with
Christ in God”. May the Lord bring us all to His ways of
affection.
Next
time Paul will write about Christ appearing, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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