Eternity 96 - Things Above
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Colossians 3:1-4 ASV If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. (3) For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (4) When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.
Born-again Christians are ascended saints. We have been "raised with Christ" , we are where He is, we are seated in the heavenly realms with Him. We have died to this world. We are corpses to materialism, fame, sensuality and earthly glory. We are dead to what others seek here on earth and we have another life. Our life is Christ.
If you are denied a promotion - don't worry, your life is not in that promotion, it is in Christ. If your wedding is post-poned or cancelled, remember your life is not in that person, your life is in Christ. If your house is burgled and your bank account cleaned out - do not worry your life is not in money and possessions it is in Christ. That may sound severe but is what Paul means.
I am trying to deal with Philippine Customs and bring a donated second-hand duplicator into the country for my ministry. Fully half of my entire ministry budget is being demanded as bribes and "charges". I have tried four different brokers to no avail. The actual customs duties are only a few dollars - the rest are service fees and "paperwork" charges. Is my life in a duplicator or in my ministry budget? No. It's in Christ. Its humiliating and painful and makes me angry, but it's "just stuff".
I feel like I am being eaten by those who neither fear God or man. Part of me wants to lash out. The better part of me says "this is small stuff, this belongs to the earth, in a thousand years' time that duplicator won't matter but who you became in response to it will".
I have to set my mind on things above. I have to get beyond the frustrations of this life and set my mind on Christ. My life is not even in my ministry. It is in Jesus. How can I use this situation to grow in Him? How can I use this to grow in maturity? How can I use this to display Christ?
When Jesus returns and we are manifested with Him in glory, in the full Romans 8 liberty of the sons of God, then I will realise my life was not in an office or a duplicator or my ministry success or my ministry budget or in a computer - but in Him. I will realise that my "real life", the substance of my existence, the expression of my true nature, is Christ.
Am I an ascended person or an earthly person? How do you react in a Christ-like way to extortion, bribery and corruption? I have to go back to who I really am in Jesus - an ascended saint, a son of God, a dweller in Zion. That should dictate the rest. I need to set my mind on God and His deliverance not on the earth and the situation.
In short I need to live out of the ascension - not out of the contention. I need to remind myself that my life is in Christ, that I am in Christ and that my actions and reactions must flow from there as well. Whatever your life, whatever your frustrations, the centre is to be the heavenly throne, our mind is to be set above, and our life is to be Christ alone. And if we choose to live the life of an ascended saint, of a true Christian, then when Christ appears we will be glorified with Him.
Blessings,
John Edmiston
Asian Internet Bible Institute
http://www.aibi.ph/
email: johned@aibi.ph