A Closer Walk

What should we be seeking? And where should we be looking for that which we are seeking? "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth," Colossians 3:1-2 NASB. This passage is addressed to those who have been raised up with Christ, or believers. Indeed the entire book is addressed to believers. Qualification: if you have been raised up with Christ. Instruction: keep seeking the things above, not the things that are on earth.
If we choose to follow this Biblical instruction and seek the things above, what will we find? At a bare minimum, a different perspective; a different way of looking at things. If we have an eternal focus rather than an earthly focus we will have a different way of looking at earthly things, and a different perspective on how we might use or employ those earthly things. Wealth or income then becomes a tool to use to further the Kingdom of God and to have an eternal impact, rather than a tool for pleasure or indulgence. Our time becomes a way we might have eternal influence somewhere, or on someone.
Earthly pleasures and indulgences are not, of themselves, inherently wrong or bad. They can and often do help us recharge our batteries so to speak. This is particularly true if they are something we care about or enjoy. Studies have shown repeatedly that those who take time off from work, such as vacations, are more productive than those who don't take time off from work. Might I add, from my own personal experience, people who take vacations and time off also have a better attitude.
But the instruction from Colossians urges us to keep seeking the things above. Our desire should be to have an eternal perspective. We might also want to make a diligent effort to set our minds on the things above. In the parable of the sower from the gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that some seeds fell by the road, some fell in the rocky soil, some among the thorns, and some in the good soil. He explained the seeds on the road and the seeds among the rocks then explained the thorns. “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful,” Matthew 13:22 NASB. We must live in this world, but we should be wary of being entangled by it.
So when Jesus tells us that to be His disciples we must take up our cross daily, perhaps a part of that could be to set our mind on the things above, where Christ is, and to keep seeking the things above.
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Thanksgiving is next Thursday, November 22. My beloved and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and we hope you get to spend time with your family. Thanksgiving is the holiday we as a nation set aside to proclaim our gratitude to our Lord and our God for the multitude of blessings He has heaped upon us here in America. May our God continue to bless the USA.