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"So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
(Colossians 3:1-2, CSB)
Growing up, the Forshees played a lot of sports. One sport that all three of the Forshee kids played was the game of tennis. Tennis is a unique sport because, for the most part, it is one-on-one. The one-on-one that I am talking about is not even about you vs. the opponent on the other side of the net; no, the real opponent is a fuzzy yellow tennis ball. That ball was my most vicious opponent in all my tennis years. What I'm going to say next could potentially blow your mind (please read that last part with a lot of sarcasm): tennis is all about setting your attention on that fuzzy yellow tennis ball until it reaches your racquet, and then maybe even keeping your head there to make sure you really have watched it. When you are looking and waiting for the ball to return, you are setting your mind on the ball. All the while, you are running, planting, pivoting, getting your arm back for your swing, and all the things that happen in a forehand or backhand swing; your main objective is to set your attention on the yellow tennis ball so you can hit said ball!
This idea of setting your mind on the yellow tennis ball is what Paul is commanding the church at Colosse to do with the things above in our verse for today. Paul uses an imperative in the original language to command the church to "set your minds on things above." While yesterday we looked at physically seeking Jesus throughout our day, next we have Paul's command to set our minds on Jesus: to mentally focus on Him. These two verbs, Seek and Set, do not interfere with one another; instead, they go hand in hand! As we seek Jesus physically, when we find Him, we set mentally on Him and keep Him set in our minds. To return to tennis again, even as you run, prep, and swing a tennis racquet during a point, your attention is still set on the tennis ball. With our faith being active and alive, we seek after Jesus and set our minds on Jesus as we go throughout our day.
So today, I don't know what you have planned, but set your mind on the things above, set your mind on Jesus, and keep your mind's attention on Him throughout your day!
Tip: What if you changed your phone background to a Bible verse that focuses on Jesus, and every time you look at your phone, you begin to think about Jesus?
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