The problem with fixing our minds and hearts on things above is that we have a thousand earthly things that occupy our minds and hearts. Making it worse is the fact that we cannot avoid these earthly things. They simply have to be done. How do we deal with that?

Every day, you and I wake up to all kinds of priorities and demands. There is laundry to be done. Kids to be delivered. Groceries to be bought. Meetings to be conducted. And so it goes. Day after day. Though the specific items on the to-do list might change, they’re still kind of the same.

In the midst of all the tedium, isn’t there a part of you that wonders if this is all there is? Sure, there are things that have to be done, but still you sense there’s just… more. If you’ve ever felt that way, then Colossians might be the book for you right now.

Colossians is a book of the Bible that calls us to higher things. It casts a cosmic vision of who Jesus is and what our calling is as Christians. By way of example, consider this in the first chapter:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Col. 1:15-17).

What an awe-inspiring view. It’s like Paul takes us from the valleys of earth to the top of the theological mountains and says, “Take a look around you. Expand your vision. Understand what’s really happening here.”

This is his call to us when we enter chapter 3. After casting this expansive and cosmic vision of Jesus, here’s his first application:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:1-3).

Now that Paul has taken us to the mountaintop, he tells us to keep our vision there. Keep our focus on things above. Let your mind be fixed on the universal greatness of Jesus and don’t be consumed with the trivial things of the world.

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