Sunday, July 10, 2005

Pursuing Heaven for the Sake of Earth

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)
Those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ have been born again (actually, born from above) by the Spirit of God (John 3:3). Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We have been raised with Christ and seated with Him in haven at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 2:6).

So doesn’t it makes perfect sense to seek those things which are above — to go after the things of heaven? It is also a very necessary thing, if we are going to fulfill our calling. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!” Those phrases are actually given to us in the imperative mood. That is, they are commands. Yes, Jesus has given us the authority to command the kingdom of God to come and His will to be done. We are His partners in this thing.

If we are going to command the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then ought we not to have a pretty good idea of what is going on in heaven? I don’t know about you, but I want to pray with some specifics. Some Christians pray so generally that it is hard to know where, when, how, or even if their prayers have been answered. Not me — I want to target specific situations with the will of God. In order to do that, I first need to see heaven, to seek those things which are above. I need to do what Paul tells us in the next verse:
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2)
You might have heard the saying, “He’s so heavenly-minded that he is of no earthly good.” But I tell you that you will not be of any earthly good unless and until you set your mind on the things of heaven, because that’s where the real change comes from.

Set your mind on the things of heaven — where you were born again, where your citizenship is, and where you are seated with the Lord Jesus Christ in the throne room of God. As you begin to see what the will of God being done in heaven looks like, start calling for that will to be done on earth in the same way. Get specific, and start applying the provisions of heaven to the problems of earth.



The Focus of Our Faith
The Focus of Our Faith
Paul’s Letters to the Jesus Believers at Colosse
Bite-Size Studies Through Colossians
by Jeff Doles

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