Christian Living

A Mind for the Above

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
11/05/20
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“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.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

We sometimes forget that we are on a pilgrimage to a spiritual realm, unlike our present station here in this world. We often fret and worry over this tent we live in, this flesh body. How long will it last, will it get me to the place that I want to be, and where is that place, as I have not found complete satisfaction yet? The truthful answer to those questions is that your flesh body will not last as long as you would like, and it will never get you to the place you want to be. We were created to be in this world, but for a short time, and our bodies were meant only to carry us for that short time. We are spirits housed in flesh bodies, and it is our spirits long for the permanent home found only in the spiritual realm. Many of us spend far too much time making our bodies beautiful, feeding our bodies with the pleasures of this world. And forsaking the preparations for our spirits in the spiritual world to come.

Yes, we should be good stewards of our bodies, we should prolong the body’s ability to function here, and we should feed it with body proper nourishment and care. But it is temporary housing much like the brick and mortar home that you live in here in this world. A hundred years from now, it will be gone and forgotten. But our spirits will live on in the eternity of a spiritual realm, and the pressing question that we all face is where that place will be that our spirits reside. The choices are fewer as the choices are only two. Will we end up in a place created for Satan and his demons or the place that God has created for His saints? The choices we make here in this world will determine the destination of our pilgrimage that we are all on. The obvious destination is heaven, but many reject the truth of God’s Word and find themselves in the demons’ place. This body that we give so much care for will not get us to either.

I’ve never had any money, probably because I do not have proper respect for it. There are two ways to handle money in my simple mind, and I am not saying which one is correct. There is the one who stacks their money. They save and invest; they will not let go of a penny foolishly spent. They keep stacking their money up wherever they keep it, and it sits there mostly useless and doing no good for anyone. Then there are the rollers who spend their money almost as quickly as they receive it. It is good for the economy in general, but they cannot repair a leaking roof for the individual on that rainy day. Unfortunately, I believe I would be a roller.

Whichever one you are, a stacker, or a roller, there is no great wrong in it. A simple point to consider is this, God gave you His first, and He gave you His best. God gave His only Son. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) He offered Him up to us at no cost to pay our sin debt so that we could be restored to a right relationship with God. It was a debt that no man could pay, a debt that no animal sacrifice could pay, and it is God’s grace given to you and me. The wage of our sin is death, and we all have fallen short of God’s righteous standard. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) God gave His Son to die in our place so that we, too, could have eternal life through His resurrected life. If we would believe and call upon His name, Jesus. Who in this world could pay the death tax on your life? Who in this world would? Could you? What is eternal life worth to you? Are you a pilgrim bonded to the slavery of death? Jesus will pay that debt-free of cost. “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

There are three things that God gives us that we are to be good stewards over. Time, talent, and treasure. None can provide you with time, none that can provide you with talent, and none who can give you treasure in the Kingdom of Heaven. What is that worth to you? If gold is pavement for the streets of heaven, think of the immensity of the riches of His glory. Do you think that God is not able to care for the creation that He loves? How much of that God-given time, talent, and treasure do you give back to God? Do you give your first, and do you give your best?

In comparison to the investment in worldly things, things that remain in the world after you’re gone, what portion do you give to God which has eternal value? “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21) It becomes a question of making a secure investment, one that will last for eternity.

In 2016, 84.8 billion dollars were spent in the United States to make us look attractive. That is an extensive expended resource for a body that is passing away. In the United States alone, the aggregate hospital cost was 387.3 billion dollars in 2011. A necessary expense, but still, each one of those patients will, at some point, die, and their spirits will leave this world. Consumer spending in the United States was 12023.06 billion in 2017, a lot of investment to make in a world that is passing away. The futility of gathering so many possessions is I have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer to the graveyard. We live in a world of trial and tribulation, and there is no permanent satisfaction here. Why? We are not in the place we were created to be in, as pilgrims are journeying to the spiritual realm. We care and clothe, beautify our flesh tents to lose them as we leave. Our satisfying need is the land we were created to live in. “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

If you believe in the Lord God Almighty, where is your focus while you are in this world? I am reminded of a story of Jesus. He entered a small village in Palestine and met a woman named Martha. Martha invited Jesus into her home, where she would prepare a meal for Him. Martha had a sister named Mary and a brother named Lazarus. Martha’s sister Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while Martha prepared the meal. Jesus was speaking to Mary, teaching her about the Kingdom of God, and Martha seeing this became distracted by the meal preparations and came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

Martha was a righteous woman, but she was more interested in the world’s things, in this case, preparing the meal. Jesus, who is loving, did not rebuke Martha, did not point out that His words were the words of life and her meal only fed the body. Jesus could have used the Scripture that He used in escaping the temptations of Satan. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:5) Jesus answered Martha, making a strong point that we all should take to heart, that is the core of our being. “But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) Mary was focused on Jesus and His word while Martha was busy with the things of this world.

Both are important, but which should we choose to be the better part. Are we focused on the world’s things that will remain in the world or the Kingdom of God that are eternal and will remain with us for eternity. Life in this world is very demanding and requires much of our attention. The solid solution is this if God gave us His first and best, then we should give God our first efforts each day in prayer and Bible study. Throughout our day, we should acknowledge with Him that He would direct our paths. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) At the end of each day, we should consult with Him that He would help us improve our walk with Him.

It is not easy; it is a discipline that we must learn and learn by practice. The start for me was that as I lay waiting for sleep, instead of thinking up wild selfish fantasies, I think of what is fruitful from above. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8) It renews my mind in the power of His Spirit. My mind is now focused on the above, the eternal home where my pilgrimage will rest.

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, February 21, 2018