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TURN YOUR ATTENTION TOWARD GOD
September 19, 2024Therefore 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. Colossians 3:1-3
1. DECIDE WHERE YOUR ATTENTION GOES. What a great exhortation from the Holy Spirit to shift our attention from temporary, lesser things to eternal, significant things. This scripture starts with a conditional statement: if you have been raised with Christ, then stop living in a lesser place. Anytime we give these lesser things too much attention, we are at risk of idolatry, and there is a lot mentioned in the Bible about fleeing idolatry. In ancient times, idolatry was pretty clear; people had physical idols made of wood and stone. Modern idolatry is a little more tricky. It can be anything that pulls us away from the Lord. Some things can be healthy diversions to relax or enjoy the natural world. But if that thing keeps us constantly distracted from seeking God, then we have to choose to shift and set our affection on things above.
2. YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER. Paul the Apostle’s words in Philippians 4 remind us of the importance of where our attention goes: “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). Isaiah 26:3 adds, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (NKJV).
3. GIVE YOUR HEART TO HEAVENLY THINGS. I’ve heard people say, “I don’t want to be so heavenly-minded that I’m of no earthly good.” I understand the concern – not becoming hyper-religious to where you become irresponsible. But truly having our minds on God is the best thing we can do for our life here on earth. The J.B. Phillips translation says, “Give your heart to the heavenly things” (Colossians 3:2). By understanding God’s Word, cooperating with Him, and following the Holy Spirit, we can actually experience days of heaven on earth. We become so heavenly-minded that we start to see God’s presence and His indicators show up in practical ways: in our behavior, in growth, by seeing change in our relationships and how we resolve conflict, and in getting wisdom and answers to the array of questions and decisions we face every day.
PRAY THIS PRAYER:
Father, help me. Deliver me from idols. Deliver me from distraction. Help me to be truly heavenly-minded, setting my affection on loving You, Jesus. Help me get on track so that my walk with You becomes the most significant part of my life. I believe You, God, for consistent growth. I set my affection on things above, not on the things of this earth. Thank You, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Press into God,
Pastor Jeff Perry
at·ten·tion, noun
The act of close or careful observing or listening.
The ability or power to keep the mind on something; the ability to concentrate.
Notice or observation.
Copyright © 2024 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS). The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission. “Attention, N.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022, https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=attention&submit.x=22&submit.y=18.
