It is getting harder today to remember what the Apostle Paul said about us if we are believers. He says in Colossians 3 that we died with Christ and the life we live we live in Christ who is seated at the right hand of God. We should set our hearts and minds on things above where Christ rules. It is getting harder and harder to do that because the world and our own flesh tend to want to navel gaze and focus on stuff that really is pretty silly. When Paul says that we should “set our hearts” on things above it is truly an interesting concept. The word Paul uses comes from two words put together. The first comes from the description of areas around the heart and it gives us the concept of “insight”. We look inward and our visceral reactions to something work out in action. So the idea is that because we know in our hearts that Christ died and rose again and that we will appear with him in Glory our actions in this world are such that we live and act as folks who live in eternal life now.
My Greek grammar says that this word combines the visceral and cognitive aspects of thinking. When we speak from the heart, our words should show that God who is greater than our hearts helps us focus. When we viscerally react to what people say or do and want to react in anger we should “lift up our hearts” to where Christ is and let Him control the “words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts”.
This is heard to do today and it is especially hard in the politically charged atmosphere right now. One of the reasons is that politicians are using the “insight” and the visceral reaction of Christians to injustice and need and corrupting it in service to a political philosophy that is un Christian. They are using Christian values and Christian vocabulary to achieve their ends while behind the scenes mocking Christians. When I set my mind on these things I am infuriated. Applying Paul’s words I should look at Christ victory and interpret what I see in the light of His glory and grace and the belief that He controls all things for the church. The clown show that is our politics is penultimate.
