Colossians 3:1-4 – “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” NASU
I love it when the Bible says ‘therefore’ because if you will continue reading or read the previous you will find out what the, therefore, is there for. Here the apostle Paul is teaching about the New Self and as he begins his discourse in this passage, he says, THEREFORE… Therefore what?
- IF you have been RAISED up with Christ.
That is a conditional statement that renders the remainder null and void if the answer to that assertion is in the negative. This only applies to those who have been raised up with Christ in the New Birth. It only applies to those who have been grafted into the true vine, adopted into the Family of God, and have their names written in the Book of Life. It is not speaking to everyone but has a specific audience in mind – Believers!
- IF that is your condition THEN keep seeking the things above.
If you are born again by the blood of Jesus then make it a daily and continual practice in your life to SEEK the things of God, those things where Jesus resides at the Right Hand of the Father.
- IF that is your condition SET your mind on the things above not on the things of the earth.
Your focus, loyalty, and desire are to be spiritual things, not earthly things. That should be the overriding characteristic of your life.
WHY? Because you have ‘died and your life is hidden with Christ’. Because when Christ is revealed, you will be revealed with Him in glory. You are just a sojourner in this world. You are just passing through. Your ultimate citizenship is not this world but God’s Eternal World. You are looking for the City whose builder and maker is God. Your desire is God above all else. You have been transferred or translated from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s Light. You are Born Again! Therefore…
The ‘therefore’ is there for you to know what you have and where you are headed as well as to give you guidance on How to Live while you make your journey from this natural world to God’s eternal spiritual world – Heaven! You have an assignment, responsibility, and opportunity but your ultimate objective and goal – – Eternity!
God bless you as you go through your day!
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