Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

— Colossians 3:2

Being born again to live in the kingdom of God calls for a dramatic shift in our thought patterns. God comes to us and says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” But we may wonder, “If we ignore earthly things that need to be taken care of, won’t our lives just become more chaotic? Is God really telling us to quit focusing on the day-to-day matters all around us?”

Setting our minds “on things above” has to do with leaving our old sinful lives behind so that we can put on the new life we are called to live in Christ. Instead of living in “immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed,” we are called to show “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience,” and more. We are to live as the people of God’s kingdom. This means we regularly spend time with God, reading and studying the Bible, praying, worshiping, enjoying fellowship with other believers, learning from Christian thinkers and artists, and more. In this way our earthly lives become increasingly focused on the greater purposes and good that God has in store for us while we live for him in this world. If, however, we spend each day immersed in our old, selfish ways and in the false promises of the world, we will find ourselves drifting away from the full life God wants for us.

Jesus, draw our minds to focus on living for you. Starve out our sinful earthly desires, and bring us to flourish as joy-filled citizens of your eternal kingdom. Amen.