2022_12_16 Insight Post- Emma Keeton
This week’s reading- Colossians 3 & 4
“Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3
I wrote out the verses above on a sticky note this week and put it in my kitchen. Funnily enough, it became a reminder through the day to do exactly what it said-set my mind and heart on Christ.
When we set our minds on the things above, we are living out our new self “which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator” Colossians 3:10b. ‘Above’ thoughts yield themselves to us from acting with humility, gentleness, kindness, compassion, and patience (Col. 3:12). Conversely, ‘below’ thoughts have us walking in the ways we used to live (Col. 3:7). Paul writes about how we died with Christ to “anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language” (Col 3:8). We are dead men and women walking when we live from our earthly natures.
When I am connected with God throughout the day, I am more likely to live out my new self, but staying connected is a challenge. If I am not intentional about that connection, I can easily wander in my own direction, and I start to put my graveclothes back on by lunchtime! This habit of being present with God throughout the day is a lifelong practice to cultivate.
One practical way of striving for that connection is to have physical reminders around us of God’s presence, much like that sticky note on the kitchen wall. We can also carry things with us that are reminders of God through the day. I was given a rock with a cross on it last year, and some days I will put that in my pocket as a tangible reminder that God is my rock and firm foundation. It can be a simple but powerful gesture. That object could be a cross or something that is not necessarily a Christian symbol but meaningful to you.
What reminders of God’s presence in your day currently work for you? Review them for a moment and maybe take time to ask God for a unique, creative idea as you are being renewed in God’s image, daily.
Emma Keeton
Prayer Team Lead