SET YOUR MIND ON THE THINGS ABOVE (9)
by Tim Melton
Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4
This content is part of a series.
Title: Set Your Mind On The Things Above (9)
Series: The Book of Colossians
Author: Tim Melton
Text: Colossians 3:1-4
If you could design your own life, what would success look like 10 years from now? Would it be focused on your education, a mate, your marriage, a house, your career, your children, ease of living or your bank account . . . ?
Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, once said this,
"People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."
Wouldn't that be a tragedy. An entire life wasted merely because they were seeking the wrong thing. Even as Christians, the evil one seeks to lure us into this same trap. One of his most common strategies is to draw Christians into a life where they regularly attend to religious activities, but at the heart level are really living for comfort, career, social status and so many other things that are focused on self and this present world. If we are not careful, we are tempted to live a comfortable Christianity that somewhat clears our conscience while not truly living for eternity.
That is what the apostle Paul is addressing in Colossians 3:1-4.
" If then you have been raised with Christ. . ."
Being raised with Christ is the prerequisite for everything else that Paul is about to say. If one has been raised with Christ, if one has put their faith in Christ, then the following words apply. If a person has not been raised with Christ, then they will not be able to act on the following exhortation that Paul is presenting. Being in Christ is what makes the Christ-like life possible.
Also note that being raised with Christ is not something that they had done for themselves. They had not earned or achieved their salvation through good works. As we see in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so ...
Series: The Book of Colossians
Author: Tim Melton
Text: Colossians 3:1-4
If you could design your own life, what would success look like 10 years from now? Would it be focused on your education, a mate, your marriage, a house, your career, your children, ease of living or your bank account . . . ?
Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, once said this,
"People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."
Wouldn't that be a tragedy. An entire life wasted merely because they were seeking the wrong thing. Even as Christians, the evil one seeks to lure us into this same trap. One of his most common strategies is to draw Christians into a life where they regularly attend to religious activities, but at the heart level are really living for comfort, career, social status and so many other things that are focused on self and this present world. If we are not careful, we are tempted to live a comfortable Christianity that somewhat clears our conscience while not truly living for eternity.
That is what the apostle Paul is addressing in Colossians 3:1-4.
" If then you have been raised with Christ. . ."
Being raised with Christ is the prerequisite for everything else that Paul is about to say. If one has been raised with Christ, if one has put their faith in Christ, then the following words apply. If a person has not been raised with Christ, then they will not be able to act on the following exhortation that Paul is presenting. Being in Christ is what makes the Christ-like life possible.
Also note that being raised with Christ is not something that they had done for themselves. They had not earned or achieved their salvation through good works. As we see in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so ...
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