Choosing Peace; Choosing Misery
We were studying Colossians 3:1-3 today in Sunday school: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Suddenly, in the midst of teaching, I saw it. We choose our peace and we choose our misery.
When the Apostle Paul said to focus on things above, he was thinking of all the truths covered in the first half of his letter:
- Jesus Christ is supreme over everything in the universe
- All things were created by Him and for Him and in Him ALL things hold together
- He is greater than all the evil spiritual forces of the world
- God’s mystery is this — Christ living in you the Hope of Glory
- We have been given fullness in Christ, especially fullness of salvation!
- We died with Christ to our flesh, the sinful nature has been cut away by the circumcision of Christ
- God canceled the debt of our sin by nailing it to the cross. Thus, all of our sins have been fully paid for.
Elsewhere, God said that He works all things out for our good. Jesus pointed out that the Father can be counted on to give us good things. And I could go on and on. We learn in Philippians 4 that this choice (to be thankful and fix our minds on heavenly things, on that which is good, trustworthy, excellent, praiseworthy, etc.) will give us peace and joy.
But how often do we choose the opposite? When things go wrong, we so quickly forget these keys to joy and peace. We focus instead on earthly things: on our problems, upon the most recent hurt that has come our way, the fears that we wrestle against, and the resentments we carry. Our emotions continue to get cranked up and our ability to think clearly and objectively is crippled. Instead of crying out for help in our misery, we double down and find ways to justify my hurt and anger, giving the enemy of our souls a grip on our lives. (Ephesians 4:26)
We choose our peace; we choose our misery. We anchor ourselves in heaven (Hebrews 6:19) or we anchor ourselves in the pit of despair. We need to cry out for God to pull us out of the slimy and set our feet on the solid rock (Psalm 40:2).
Where will you set your thoughts and emotions today? How long will you waste in focusing on the negative issues, instead of focusing in on the God who is all powerful and has great solutions, solutions that often involve seeing life from His perspective.
We have died with Christ, been buried with Him and raised to be seated with Him at the right hand of God (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12-13). Our life is now hidden with Christ in God. We live in overlapping realities — one foot in this world and one foot in the heavenly places. As believers our life is secure in Christ and so are our circumstances. Satan is a defeated enemy and God’s plans now rule — if we let them.
Rest in the work of God. Rest in His goodness for you. Enjoy sitting in Jesus’ lap in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6)
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