Look up! – Friday, 1 September

“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 NKJV

As Christians, we are alive with and in Christ (Romans 6:5). Not only are we alive in Christ but we have been raised with Christ and are now seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). That’s amazing! As Christians, we are seated in a place of authority far above anything that’s going on down here on earth. What’s even more amazing is that many believers are not focused on or seeking the things of heaven, and that is why we do not experience much of heaven on earth (Matthew 6:10).

In context, Paul was presenting a full picture of Jesus and His finished work for us –he wanted us to understand our completeness in Christ so that no one would be able to deceive us and put us under any bondage to the law (external regulations about how to relate to God and be holy). We are now dead to the law which only dealt with the external actions of an individual and could not change someone’s heart or make them holy (Colossians 2:20-23).

The Law is not one of those things which are above and as Christians, we have no business seeking it or seeking to live by it. The Bible says that the just shall live by faith, not by the law. We should be seeking those things which are above. The new law which we should be adhering to is the one Jesus instituted and that is the law of love (Matthew 22:35–40) which can only be fulfilled by knowing and experiencing God’s love for us, first (1 John 4:19).

“That is, the law was given to us through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
John 1:17 ERV

The word but divides the sentence into two and places the law and Moses on a different side to grace, truth and Jesus Christ. This verse is basically explaining the Old and New Covenants, and that Moses brought in the covenant of law that was in operation until Jesus Christ came and brought in the New Covenant of grace and truth. If we are true followers or disciples of Jesus, then we would be more focused on grace and truth than on the law.

We’re encouraged to seek those things which are above. If we were busy seeking Jesus, relationship with Him and the things of the kingdom (Matthew 6:33) we wouldn’t be able to seek after and focus on the worldly things or the regulations of the law. You cannot successfully focus on more than one thing at a time, especially if they are in opposite directions.

`Many Christians focus on the law in an attempt to be holy, but the strength of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56) which means that the more you focus on the law the more you’ll strengthen sin in your life. In contrast, when we focus on Jesus and who we are in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) holiness flows in our lives effortlessly – it comes as a fruit or natural by-product of being heavenly minded (seeking the things which are above).

Much love,