Scripture

Think of the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

Observation

We have been raised to new life in Christ, so we should set our minds on things of heaven and not be consumed by worldly thoughts. We have died to this life and been raised to eternity in Christ.

We must put to death all the sinful and fleshly desires within us- immorality, impurity, greed, idolatry and so on.

We need to put on our new nature and be renewed as we learn to be like Christ.

Application

One of the biggest problems we have as christians is allowing God to transform us. Sin seems to cling to us despite our good intentions.

The problem is that we still live in the world and our thoughts are dominated by the world’s ways of thinking rather than by God’s ways.

We must see that our destiny is in heaven with Christ, and everything in our lives needs to be seen in that perspective.

The people of the world do not know God. All they see is this life. All their energy and thought go into the concerns of this world. They worry about work, possessions, sex, family and so on.

For we who are born again, our focus must always be on serving Christ. Our work is for His glory not ours. Our family is to serve Him not to live for its own purposes.

Thinking of heavenly things does not mean abandoning our responsibilities to live on a mystical plane unconcerned with earthly things.

We are to put Jesus first in everything and see the things that we do in the light of serving and worshipping Him.

When we look to God and live for Him, He deals with all the other things in our life, including sinful attitudes and wrong priorities.

We do not have to change the way we live, just where we place our affections. God will look after the rest.

Prayer

Lord please help me to seek you in every part of my life. I trust you to redirect my life and to change my thinking. Amen.