“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3)”.

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! These are the wonderful words that are heralded during our Easter celebrations; that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and has risen from the grave. But as soon as Easter passes, in many cases, so does the celebration of His resurrection until the next Easter season. But this should not be! You see, as believers, this marvelous truth should be held close to our hearts daily because it’s the heart of the Gospel message, that through the power of His resurrection we too have been brought back from the dead. Our old lives that were once dominated by sin and the world were put to death on the cross with Him. And when Jesus came back to life, you and I were raised up with Him to the newness of life (Rom. 6:6, 7; Eph. 2:6). Through His resurrection, we were given a new nature; one that desires what He desires and loves what He loves. His resources have become our resources. Beloved, this is the power and the mystery of the Gospel. We are no longer slaves to who we used to be but have been given everything we need to live a life pleasing to Him; to serve and honor Jesus Christ in all that we say and do! 

Now, here in chapter 3, Paul gives us a command. He says, since you have been raised with Christ then seek Him with all of your being. In other words, We are to have our hearts and minds steadfastly and intently focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, where knowing Him is our greatest desire, pleasing Him is at the core of our commitments, becoming like Him is at the heart of our ambitions, and bringing glory to His name is our deepest and most consuming passion of our lives. This is a command and call of every Christian. These are the churches marching orders. Set your minds on things that are above and quite worrying about all the chaos that’s going on around you because this world is no longer your home. 

It’s unfortunate, but I believe Satan and the world system has done a pretty good job of distracting us from what is really important. But this should not be the case for believers, because we have a living hope, and we are citizens of a different country, a heavenly one.  You see, it’s the trials of life that reveal what we are really trusting in and in what we truly love. During this past month when eating out was not an option and going to the movies or sports venues was off the radar, what has dominated your thoughts and actions? Has your heart been lifted heavenward where Christ is seated, or have you been consumed with the things that are going on around you? Have you been spending time with the Lord in His Word, meditating and memorizing it and drawing near to Him in prayer? Or has your downtime been filled with sitting on the couch watching NETFLIX? Has your mind been devoted to things that have eternal value, or have you allowed the world system to shape you? Understand, to grow in your walk with the Lord, you must continually put off the world, and then put on Jesus Christ where He is your highest love and greatest desire. We must seek first His Kingdom and righteousness. 

Beloved, the things of this world are fleeting. They are here today and gone tomorrow. The question that we all need to answer is, what am I living for? The world, or for Christ? Understand, “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ! We would like to invite you to come and join us this Sunday at 10am as we worship the Lord through His Word. Due to the COVID-19, social distancing will be adhered to, face masks/coverings are highly recommended for all in attendance and other controls have been put in place to ensure a safe church environment.