Devotional Monday: Seek the Things Above

I was reading a devotional yesterday and it was talking about  these verses below in Colossians three, which talks about setting your mind on the things above and not earthly things. I love how Paul says in verse three--"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." By setting our minds on the things above, we are dieing to the things of this world  and as Paul puts it, our lives are  now hidden with Christ in God. Dieing to our self, is a lot like taking off old clothes--setting them aside or exchanging them for new ones. Taking them off and putting on the clothes of Christ just as Paul says in verse twelve. We are putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience and through that we are putting on his character. Paul continues on to say that love is the most important piece of clothing, it ties the shoes so they don't come untied. He ends with verse seventeen saying, whatever we do in word or deed do it all in the name of Christ.So you see, once we take off the old clothes and put on the clothes of Christ we are now hidden with Christ in God, just as these verses say. I encourage you today to set your mind on the things above and not on the things of this world and whatever you do, do it in the name of Christ just as verse seventeen reminds us.

Colossians 3:1-17
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹ Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him"