Living for Christ requires determination. There are many things vying for our attention which can pull us away from our complete devotion to the Lord. Colossians 3:2 tells us, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” That means we have to determine in our hearts to focus on the things of God, and then set our affections, our desires, in that direction. The Amplified version of this verse says, “And set your minds and keep them set on what is above...” We have to make great effort to continually turn our minds toward the things of God, because our enemy is making great effort to pull us in the opposite direction.
Have you ever noticed when you are driving that if you take your eyes off the road and look in another direction too long, you will eventually begin driving that way? It is easy to run into a ditch if we are not focused in the direction we need to be going. Many want the Christian life to be easy, but the truth is it takes a made-up mind to keep going the right way. Conscious effort is required to stay on the road.
A successful Christian life, one that is pleasing to the Lord, doesn’t just happen because we make a profession of faith in Christ. When we accept Him, we become a child of God, and then, if we are submissive to His Spirit, He begins the process of changing us. Just because I don’t always please Him does not change my status as a child of God; however, because of what God has given me and what He has saved me from, out of love for Him I desire to do what is pleasing in His sight.
We are saved, not just so we can go to heaven, but also to be an example to the unsaved world of what the transforming power of Christ can do in a person’s life. We are left on this earth after salvation to win others to Christ. If our minds and affections are not set on things above, what kind of examples are we being?
Father, help us to always set our affection on things above. Enable us to make the effort necessary to live a life that pleases You.
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