Focus

     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. (Col 3:1-3 ESV)

     I have run across a saying that goes something like this. "He is so heavenly minded, that he is of no earthly good." Immediately we think of an individual with his or her head in the clouds, dreamily going through life with heavenly thoughts, but unable to function much in the everyday affairs of life. But is this saying biblical? 

     The passage quoted above mentions several important aspects of the Christian life. First, the Christian has died. When we come to Christ in repentance and faith, we renounce ourselves, our sin and selfishness, and die to it. Paul, in Romans 6:1-13, paints a picture of the believer's uniting with Christ's death through baptism, and consequently uniting with Him in His resurrection, resulting in newness of life. We have forsaken our old life, to live a new one. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin (Romans 6:6-7 ESV).

     Paul writes that he has been crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20). As a result, it is no longer he who lives, but by faith, Christ lives in him. Jesus tells us that one must renounce all to become His disciple (Luke 14:33), he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him. We must lose our lives for Christ's sake (Matt 16:24-26). 

     To tell the truth, I often find myself caught up with earthly affairs. I worry about making ends meet. I can get caught up with my job, or hobbies. I'm sure many of us can relate to this. Life can be hard at times, and it is so easy to let our focus settle there. But what does Jesus say? He tells us to make His kingdom our priority! He knows our needs, and tells us not to worry, to be consumed by them. These are the things we need, clothing, food, the essentials of life. These are also the things the world is consumed with (Matt 6:25-33). He encourages us to pursue His interests, not ours, and what we need, He will provide.

     Now I am not saying we must all quit our jobs and go sit on a rooftop somewhere waiting for God to do something. We all have gifts and callings that God has given us, and we must walk in them. It might mean a radical change of direction in our lives. At the very least our focus must change. We are not our own, we have been purchased by Jesus Christ, to live for His glory (1 Cor 6:19-20). How will that fact affect my job choices, my interests, my pursuits? Can I glorify God in these areas of my life, or must I make a change? One who has died in this sense of the word has given up himself.

     We have also been made alive in Christ Jesus. Not only have we died, but now, as Jesus has been raised from the dead, so we also have been raised up to newness of life (Romans 6:4).

     Newness of life entails everything of one's life. We have renounced all for the sake of Christ, so now we use all for the glory of God. To set our minds on the things above means to focus on the interests of Christ. It means that we are consumed by the advancement of His kingdom. It is our priority. The things that hinder, that get in the way, must go. We cannot serve two masters, one or the other must go. You can only focus on one thing in the natural, and so it is in the spiritual as well (Matt 6:22-24). We must ever be careful to keep the things of eternity in sharp focus.

     Let us have the same attitude as that of Paul, who counted all things loss for the sake of Christ, who forgot the former things to press on towards the goal (Phil 3:8-15). He said he did one thing (verse 13). We know that Paul traveled as an Apostle planting churches and preaching the gospel. He wrote under inspiration a large portion of the New Testament. He suffered persecution and stood before kings. He did many things, but his life with all of its experiences and accomplishments flowed out of one thing. Paul was passionate for Jesus Christ. He had renounced all, he had been crucified with Christ, and was merely living out the life of Christ by faith.