A Mind Set on Things Above
A Mind Renewed and Fixed on Him — Devotion 6 of 6
Colossians 3:1-2 — “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Opening Reflection
Paul closes his instruction to the Colossians not with another inward discipline, but with a direction: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Everything this series has traced — renewal, alertness, resistance, filling, peace — was never meant to end as private mental maintenance. It was meant to reorient where the mind ultimately looks: upward, toward Christ, rather than only downward, toward the passing concerns of earth.
Taking a Devotional View
Paul grounds this command in identity, not effort: “If then you have been raised with Christ” — the command follows from what is already true, not the other way around. Because believers are already united with a risen Christ, seated with Him in a sense that transcends earthly circumstances, their minds have somewhere real to be set — not wishful thinking about heaven, but attention fixed on where Christ actually is. A mind set on things above is not escaping reality; it is orienting itself around the deepest reality there is.
This does not mean disengaging from earthly life — Paul spends the rest of Colossians 3 describing very practical, earthly conduct: how believers treat one another, speak, forgive, and work. But all of that practical living flows from a mind first set above. This is where the whole series culminates: a mind renewed, alert, guarded, filled, and at peace is finally a mind free to look outward and upward — not trapped managing its own thought-life forever, but oriented toward Christ in a way that shapes how it actually lives on earth.
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- Paul commands believers to set their minds on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2).
- The command is grounded in identity — because believers have been raised with Christ, not as a way to earn that standing.
- A mind set on things above is oriented around ultimate reality, not disconnected from it.
- This upward focus is meant to shape very practical, earthly conduct, as the rest of Colossians 3 describes.
Ask Yourself
- Is my mind more often set on earthly concerns or on where Christ actually is?
- Do I treat my identity as “raised with Christ” as the foundation for my thinking, or something separate from it?
- Looking back over this series, which practice — renewal, alertness, resistance, filling, or peace — most prepared me for this upward focus?
- What is one earthly, practical area of my life that could look different if my mind were more fixed on things above?
Christ, because I have been raised with You, let my mind be set on things above and not only on the passing concerns of earth. Let this upward focus shape how I actually live today — in my words, my patience, and my work. Thank You for renewing my mind from the very beginning of this journey to this moment. Amen.