Colossians 3:1–4 ¹ 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.

How do you “set your hearts on things above” and “set your minds on this above, not earthly things?” Is this an encouragement to forsake the world and everything in it and focus only on spiritual things? That is how the monastic orders came about. People would seek to insulate themselves from the world around them in order to live a life pleasing to God. But I don’t think that is what God had in mind. He told us to love one another, and we cannot do that if we do not interact with our neighbors.

Cheryl and I just returned from a cruise to Alaska, something we talked about doing for a long time. It was a new experience for us and we enjoyed it. Those of you who have been on cruises know that the dining is quite nice. We had the same servers, Vishal and Aaron, every evening. As is our custom, we told them we were going to ask God to bless our meal and we would be praying for them as well. They were happy to both stand at the table while we prayed. Vishal was from Mumbai and Aaron was from the Philippines. After the first night we prayed together, Vishal said, “Aaron is a Catholic, and I love Jesus, too!”

On one of the subsequent evenings, Vishal told us how happy he was that we talked with the two of them. He said many of the cruisers did not want to speak with him. He seemed genuinely pleased that we not only prayed with him, but asked him about his life and his family. If we had not taken the time to converse with him, would we really be doing what God would have us do as His followers?

When you set your mind and heart on things above, you focus on Jesus and serving Him. We do that best when we follow His example of showing love and care and concern for our neighbor. We share God’s love with those we encounter every day in the hope that they will also come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, too. If they already know, praise God. If they have not yet come to faith, the Spirit will work through our witness. We want them to join us in looking to spiritual things and not viewing this fallen world as “all that there is.”

Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. He is in control. He rules for us. When He returns, He will bring us to the fulness of life and we will join Him in glory, the glory He earned for us through His payment for our sin.