PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Colossians 3:1–2
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
CONSIDER THIS
One of the most popular ideas in self-help these days is captured in the word “mindset.” The common encouragement from the personal-makeover mavens and motivational speakers of the age—who dominate social media—is that if you change your mindset you can change your life. While some social media influencers may encourage a person to focus on the wrong things, they are not wrong about this—what you set your mind on can change the course of your life.
Jesus and Paul understood that one’s mindset is a powerful thing. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is helping his listeners change their mindset in verses like Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” One could argue that Jesus’s entire ministry was a call to change one’s mindset about God, oneself, and others.
Paul, following the lead of Jesus in Colossians 3:1–2, talked directly about mindset. But Jesus and Paul did not tell us to set our minds on positive thinking, increasing our influence, or business success. Rather, Jesus and Paul instruct us to get our hearts set and our minds set on things above—on the person of Jesus (Heb. 12:2), the love of the Father (1 John 4:16), and life in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).
First, in verse one, Paul tells us to get our hearts set—fixed on, locked in–on things above. On Jesus. And what does Jesus have his heart set on? Loving the Father and loving his people.
We could think of setting our hearts on things above as setting our affections, our desires, our loves, on Jesus. Christ is seated at the right hand of God, so that’s where, and toward whom, our desires should be oriented. We are seated in that same heavenly place with Jesus (Eph. 2:6) and, in that place, we have the heart of Christ (Heb. 8:10).
Paul wants us to be heaven-hearted, meaning our affections and desires should be set on knowing Christ and the eternal goal of life forever in communion with him. That heartset will change how we spend our days, years, or decades.
Second, in verse two, Paul tells us to get our minds set—meaning fixed on, locked in—on things above. On Jesus. So, what is the mind of Jesus set on? “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2b).
Do you remember the temptation in the wilderness when the devil tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of this world and the tiny thrones of those tiny kingdoms? Jesus was seeing another kingdom ahead and his mind was set on the joy before him.
We could think of setting our minds on things above as setting our thoughts, our attitudes, our intellect, on Jesus. Christ is seated at the right hand of God, so that’s where, and toward who, our thoughts should be oriented. We are seated in that same heavenly place with him (Eph. 2:6) and, in that place, we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).
Paul wants us to be heaven-minded, meaning our thoughts and intentions should be set on thinking the thoughts of Christ and being guided by the Spirit’s wisdom in our decisions. That mindset will change how we spend our days, years, and decades.
What is your heart set on today? Through worship, prayer, and intimate communion with Jesus, your heartset can change for the better.
What is your mind set on today? Through Scripture reading, meditation, and learning in fellowship with Jesus, your mindset can change for the better.
In Philippians 4:8, Paul writes: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Heart and mind, we can meditate on what leads to love and eternal life.
Jesus is in you, giving you his heart and mind every day. United with him, we can become people whose hearts and minds are fixed on things above—loving and serving others from that place.
THE PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I am in you and you are in me. I set my affections, desires, and loves on you. I set my thoughts, attitudes, and intellect on you. By your Spirit, help me set my heart and mind on things above as I love others in your name. In Christ Jesus, I pray, amen.
THE QUESTIONS
What does it mean to you to have your heart set on things above? Your mind set on things above? What is something you could do today to fix your desires, your thoughts, on Jesus?
For the Awakening,
Dan Wilt
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2 Responses
“Having my mind set on things above “, means for me that despite the chaos, frustration and other human emotions brought about in response to the times we now inhabit; that Jesus is my CONFIDENCE. I’m certain that whatever crisis, distractions, or evil may befall me, that Jesus remains seated at the right hand of the Father, and is still sovereign over all creation!
Live a life that stays always logged on to Jesus and ever obedient to His promptings and notifications. Keep Him pulled up on your inner screen.
The Christian mindset is to have your heart firmly set on hearing and obeying the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is to do what God requires instead of pursuing your own desires. God wants to put His laws on your heart and write them on your mind. (See Hebrews 10:16.) He wants you to set your own preferences aside so that you can abide in His will and not quench the Spirit.
Jesus put it this way: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:14.) You can’t follow your own desires and God’s desires at the same time. Decide to let God’s Spirit be your moment-by-moment inner guide by following His promptings stride by stride. May your choice always be to obey the Spirit’s still small voice and to promptly and faithfully do what “Christ in you” tells you to regardless of the consequences.