HOW'S YOUR MINDSET?
In chapter 3 of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he writes “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
His encouragement to us here is for us to have a correct mindset so perhaps a better title for this article is “Where is your mind set?”.
We hear so much these days about ‘worldview’ and in this ‘post Christian’ era where almost anything goes or is deemed acceptable ‘as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else’, the clear instruction for us to have a fruitful life (in the Biblical sense) is for us to have our minds set on the Kingdom of God (the things above as Paul puts it) and not so caught up in the things of this world. Our world is wracked with fear, immorality on a scale the likes of which hasn’t been seen in our lifetime and laws being passed aimed at destroying the very foundations of our society – the family.
However, in these perilous times, God’s Word remains true and faithful as it has always been. Paul, in this passage and the verses following gives us clear guidelines for holy living. He goes on to say “put to death therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature” and then supplies a list of those things which are unhealthy for us and by implication our society: - “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry.” (NIV) He continues “but now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (v8).
Just pause for a moment and consider how different our society would be if we chose to rid ourselves of these ungodly attributes!
For many the Christian life is seen as a set of rules to live by in order to avoid the judgement of an angry God. Nothing could be further from the truth! ‘God SO LOVED that He GAVE His Son so that WHOEVER believes in Him, wouldn’t perish but have everlasting or eternal life.’ (John 3:16)
He’s a Father who longs for an ‘up close and personal relationship’ with each and every one of His children so much so He paid the ultimate price to ensure this was possible through the death of His Son. He then teaches us through His living Word how to live a fruitful and productive life. What more could we possibly want?
Paul not only teaches us so clearly the attributes we need to get rid of (for our own wellbeing) but also gives a further list of qualities to build into our lives. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (v 12-14 NIV)
Once again, think of how different our world would be if we build these attributes into our lives on a daily basis. Changing the world starts with you and me! Changing my life and the manner in which I interact with those around and about me has a greater affect than I could ever imagine. For the sake of completeness, and so there is no misunderstanding, I haven’t by any means arrived but even in preparing this I was challenged with this passage to re-examine my life and take stock of how much compassion, kindness, humility and so on is evident my life – there’s always room for improvement!
There are only 3 other instructions or encouragements in this section of Paul’s guidelines for holy living.
1. Let peace be the umpire of your heart (v15). Do your thoughts, words and actions have peace and convey peace to those with whom you have contact?
2. Let His Word dwell in you richly. (v16) His Word must be the foundation of our lives and the benchmark for our decisions. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path i.e. It shows us where we are and the way ahead. (Psa 119:105)
3. Do everything as unto the Lord. In other words when you do anything do it as if Jesus was in the room!
The Bible says…”do not give the devil a foothold.” (Eph 4:27 NIV) We deny the enemy of our soul access when we have the right mindset or putting it another way when our mind is correctly set. James exhorts us “to submit to God, (literally to come under His authority and advice, to obey) resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7 NKJV). The more we are submitted to God and therefore the closer we are to Him, the further away the enemy MUST be as he can’t stand to be in the presence of God.
So let me ask you again. How’s your mindset OR where is your mind set?