443-Set Your Minds on Things Above#
(JP Text Group - shalom compilation)
Dear family, peace in the Lord. Today is Sunday, and we come together to share His words. We will look at Colossians 3:1-4.
The title of the sharing is: Set Your Minds on Things Above.
Let’s read this passage:
1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you for preparing this time for us to listen to your words. Your words are our life and our strength! As a new week begins, may your words be my supply, guiding me to live and testify of your great power. I choose to set my mind on things above because you have already won, received glory, and all authority. I want to live with this strength of yours, receiving this power through today’s words! Thank you and praise you. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.
Our thoughts and focus are very important. People inevitably get influenced by those around them, events, and the environment. If our thoughts are on negative things, our mood will be affected, leading to discomfort, negativity, and low spirits. It is impossible to think about negative things all day and expect good things to happen; these two are contradictory. Seeing too much negativity will lead to immediate denial of any good thoughts, for example: "I can't, I don't deserve this!"
Many people are troubled, fearful, and worried all day long, constantly fearing bad things will happen. For instance, before starting a business, they think of all kinds of obstacles and difficulties, resulting in being unable to proceed. When doing things, they first think about what to do if it fails. What to do about all the negative things encountered? If all you think about is negative, you will lack the confidence to act on those thoughts, and over time, you will find yourself unable to accomplish anything.
What is unfortunate? Many people end up with results that reflect their thoughts. They could have done well, but because they constantly think negatively, focusing on those negative and failed examples, they ultimately fail.
Proverbs 4:20-25:
20 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.
This passage tells us that what we think about in our hearts is very important. God tells us here to be wise, to pay attention to my words, to incline your ear to my sayings, and not to let them depart from your eyes. What does this mean? It means that what we see and think in our hearts should be God’s words. If we deviate from this focus and look at the people of the world, we will see deceitful hearts; looking at the things of the world will lead to discouragement and despair, with much unfairness. Unless our eyes are focused on God’s words, where there is eternal hope, if we focus our eyes and thoughts on God, we will receive His life.
The world is always changing, and there is no sense of security within. If we focus on God, He is unchanging. From ancient times to the present, God has always been the same God, never changing. When Jesus said He is the life, the way, and the truth, He still is. If we keep our eyes on Him, we will receive life.
God is not only life but also the health of all our flesh. What does this mean?
This statement includes the idea that if you constantly focus your eyes on the world, your mood will be suppressed, and over time, your body will have problems. Some people experience issues in life and family, and prolonged pressure leads to insomnia, forgetfulness, and restlessness. We need to fix our eyes on God’s words; His words are the health of all our flesh. This statement is very interesting. When we go to the doctor, they will give us advice like: "Don’t eat spicy food, don’t eat seafood, take your medicine on time." We believe the doctor’s words because we hope to get better soon.
Doctors can only treat physical ailments, but here God tells us that if we completely focus our eyes on His words and keep His words in our hearts to meditate on them, we will receive health for our entire being! Hallelujah! Therefore, thinking about God’s matters is beneficial for us.
Verse 23 is a verse we often share: "Keep your heart with all diligence."
To keep your heart with all diligence means to guard your heart above all else. This is very important; do not let your heart be filled with the garbage of the world. Do not let your eyes see only various unfairnesses that cause you to lose your sense of security and trust no one.
Keeping your heart means filling it with God’s words. Let God’s words fill your heart, guarding it above all else. This means do not let your heart become a garbage can; do not receive all kinds of information. If you see many short videos and messy information that make your heart uneasy, the most direct method is to stay away from those people and those things.
People always focus on chaotic and gossiping information. If you watch it for too long, your heart will become confused, affecting your life. The best way is to clear away all this garbage information. Amen! This is the direct method; do not focus on those things but rather focus on God’s words, and you will receive health for your entire being, receiving God’s abundant life.
Because the issues of life spring from the heart, what you think in your heart will dictate your actions. If your heart is filled with negative information, the words you speak will also be negative, and your body will change according to what you say.
If you declare every day: "I am doomed; my body is getting worse!" your body will indeed become that way! Because our words have authority, God gave us this authority when He created us. However, many people use these negative words to treat their lives. What should we do?
Verse 24 has already told us: "Put away from you a deceitful mouth."
Thank the Lord! Do not let your mouth speak those negative, pessimistic, and terrible words anymore. Do not let your mouth speak those words that make you fearful. Putting away perverse lips also means to reject deceitful, terrible words that make you negative or corrupt others. Do not let them exist in your mouth. Amen! Ensure this point: no matter what others say, we must first guard our hearts and our mouths, thinking about things above. In God’s kingdom, there are no negative, pessimistic, or terrible words. Look at what Jesus said; His words build people up and bring them life! Your mouth should be the same.
Verse 25: "Let your eyes look straight ahead; let your eyelids look right before you."
What is ahead of us? If what is ahead is negative people and negative things, we need to adjust our direction and focus, redirecting our focus to Jesus Christ, making Him the benchmark of our lives. How do we practice this? It’s simple; look at the four Gospels in the New Testament, the letters of the New Testament, and you will know how to act. What Jesus did is what we need to emulate because He has already won. Since you want to be victorious in life and want to receive the life of Jesus, you must imitate Jesus Christ, fixing your eyes on Him. Whatever is not like Christ, we believe in, but whatever contradicts God’s words, we do not follow. This way, you will guard your heart, and your life will become increasingly abundant. Hallelujah!
What we think in our hearts will attract what we receive, just like a magnet. If you place a magnet among iron, it will attract the iron; but if you place it on stone or dirt, where there are no iron components, it cannot attract anything. If you constantly think about how painful life is, how wronged you have been in the past, and that there are no better days ahead, your life will remain that way, attracting more negative events to happen to you.
Do not continue like this; turn it around. Think about God’s promises, meditate on being God’s beloved child, reflect on what Christ accomplished for you on the cross. When you read the Bible, first think of it as God writing to you, not to others, but to you. These promises are also given to you by God. Because you do not know how to live correctly, God has told you these principles, and there are many examples of how they did it, becoming specific methods for you to imitate. Often meditate on things above, think about God’s words, and often look up to the promises of Jesus Christ, and you will have more and more joy. Always meditate on being a victor through Christ, that you can do all things through Christ, and God will show you the blueprint of good things.
Our brains are interesting. If we see negative things and think negative thoughts, our brains will sketch out even more negative things, leading to fear and despair. Conversely, if we constantly meditate on God’s victory and His promises, God will place visions within you, allowing you to have a blueprint from Him. The Apostle Paul was like this.
Philippians 4:12-13:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Paul was someone who often meditated on God’s words. He knew that the Lord he believed in is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. He always thought about things above. You can think about what made Paul willing to give up everything on earth to pursue Jesus Christ and to pursue only the things of Jesus Christ throughout his life. It was during those three years in the wilderness that God took him to a secret place in a vision and showed him a glimpse of the future kingdom of heaven. He may not have seen everything, perhaps just a part of it, but he felt that there was nothing in the world worth clinging to anymore.
Why is this the case? Through the letters of the Apostle Paul and some records in Revelation, we can know that the least in the kingdom of heaven, we cannot say it is bad, is made of pure gold, while we treat it as treasures on earth, which are not accessible to everyone. We regard pure gold as the most precious thing, but in the kingdom of heaven we will only use it for streets; this is the lowest tier of God.
Brothers and sisters, Paul saw the things above and realized that the best things pursued on earth are actually the lowest in the kingdom of heaven. So why pursue these things on earth? It is better to focus all attention above, to receive the eternal blessings that God is willing to give me. After he understood and saw these things, he regarded everything as dung, no longer clinging to the world. It is not that the world is bad; the things in the world are good, but compared to the future kingdom of heaven, they truly do not count for much.
Every time Paul encountered problems or obstacles that made him discouraged, he would think about things above. It was precisely because he always thought about things above that he knew how to be abased. When others looked down on him and spoke various slanderous words, he could still face it with joy because he knew that what is above is good. He also knew how to abound, meaning he received many blessings from people, whether spiritual or worldly, but he did not become proud because he knew that what is above is better, and what he has now is nothing.
Whether full or hungry, whether having plenty or lacking, in all things I have learned the secret. What is this secret? It is to think about things above. He knew that what God gave him is the best, something that the world cannot give, and this became Paul’s strength.
Verse 13 says: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
This refers to Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, that we can do all things. Brothers and sisters, you must pay attention to the context. Many people ignore the context and only focus on verse 13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and think they can do anything, even wrong things. God would not give you strength to do wrong things, nor would the Holy Spirit give you strength to think negative thoughts. This is certainly not from the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, remember that God gives us a beautiful blueprint, related to Jesus Christ, which builds people up and brings them life. Such things God will empower you to do all things for what purpose? To help others, to build others up, to comfort others, to heal others. Amen! The purpose of doing these is not to glorify oneself but to glorify Christ. If you have such a heart, God will enable you to do all things.
Consider this: Jesus has this authority; He can indeed do all things, but what is the premise? He has no evil within. If we can do all things but have evil within, there might be no one left in the world, and we would ultimately harm ourselves.
If we think only about things above, centered on Christ, God will enable you to do all things, bringing more benefits to others. Amen! Every day we must choose what to think about and what attitude to face life with. Therefore, we must continually adjust our focus to above, that is, to Christ. Even if you encounter hundreds of unpleasant, unhappy, or unjust things in a day, you still need to choose to think about things above, to embrace hope, to be positive and optimistic, and to expect good things because what is above is real, and these present things are temporary. Amen!
Many people want joy and to change their environment, thinking that if they have enough money, they will be joyful, or if their environment is peaceful and those around them are harmonious and kind, they will definitely be happy. However, this is not necessarily the case. The key is to think about things above. When your inner self changes, the whole world changes.
If you always expect those around you to change before you can be joyful, it shows that your eyes are still on this earth and still under the control of negative thoughts. The most direct way to break through this is to think about things above. You need to know that God is sitting there as King, and Jesus Christ has already won; He is already at rest.
Hallelujah! In God, there is nothing bad, only good, only goodness, only beauty. Think about those things; they are not empty fantasies but real existences, perhaps even more real than this world. Because what God says is what it is; the world is not like this. Many people say one thing but think another; you do not know what is true and what is false. But believing in God’s words, believing directly in what He says is enough because He is a faithful Lord.
Genesis 1:1-4:
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
Look at our God; before creating the heavens and the earth, He must have had a blueprint in His heart, detailing what to create on the first day, what on the second day, and what would appear on the first day. These already existed in God’s thoughts.
Although at that time the earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, God’s thoughts contained light. So He said, "Let there be light," and what He thought became real! God has actually given us this ability too; we just use it too little. Many people spend their whole lives thinking negatively, replaying who hurt them in the past, who wronged them, and as a result, those painful memories become increasingly vivid. Do not do this.
Even if it is currently formless and void, and darkness is present, learn to say like God: "Let there be light!" Because there is no darkness in Him. Amen! God did not say, "How dark it is!" That would only lead to more darkness! Learn to speak like God; face terrible environments and your body that is currently afflicted with illness. Speak words that are beneficial to your body and words that can change the environment, just as God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw the light was good, so in God’s thinking, everything is good, and He separated the light from the darkness.
Do not let your thoughts run wild, thinking negatively. Do not let your thoughts focus on others’ shortcomings or dwell on your own mistakes, failures, unfair life, or terrible past. Let go of these; let the past be the past. God lives in your present and also in your future!
Many people always expect, "If only I could change the past, if I could travel back in time..." In fact, there is no need for that. You can change the terrible patterns of the past right now. Many things have already passed; do not cling to them too much. Choose how to live in the present: whether to look up to the God who blesses or to continue sighing and complaining.
If your thoughts are on negative and pessimistic things, the best way is to switch channels and think about God’s promises. Think about being God’s beloved child, think about Christ’s victory, and then those negatives will not be able to occupy your heart for long.
Perhaps there is a voice in your heart telling you: "Your body will not get better; you cannot recover. Look at what the doctor says!" Perhaps there is a voice saying: "Your child will not get better; look how clumsy and terrible he is. Your dreams will never come true!" Do not let these thoughts linger in your mind; replace them with God’s words.
Many people who have been on the sickbed for a long time think their lives will always be like this. No! You must boldly declare what you have received in Christ; those are real, more real than this world! Declare loudly your identity in Christ, the inheritance you have received. Amen!
Psalm 16:5-9:
5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. 7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
I challenge you to see yourself and the world through God’s eyes. You can maintain a positive and joyful heart. You can declare to yourself: "The Lord is my portion!" Who is your portion? God is your portion. Who can take this portion away? If God says He will bless you, who can take away this blessing? If God says He will help you, who can destroy that? The only fear is that you do not believe; then you will not receive these things!
Our connection with God relies on faith. Amen! If you do not believe in God, you will believe in this world. If your eyes are not on God, they will definitely be on this world. If it is not positive, it will definitely be negative. You must believe that God is your portion. Amen! Your blessings come from God, and what you have, He maintains for you.
People have two kinds of worries. The first worry is about what they want to obtain but cannot. The second worry is about what they have and fear losing it. As a result, many people, whether poor or rich, live in anxiety and fear. We do not need to live like this because the Lord is my portion and my cup; You maintain my lot. You must know that it is God who maintains your inheritance. Who can take it away? The only fear is that you are unwilling to let go, unwilling to give it to God. You insist on watching over it yourself, but you cannot do it well, ultimately losing your sense of security.
What is the best way? "Lord, You are my portion; You are my cup. Everything I have, You maintain for me. Everything I have is Yours!" Amen! Can you say this to God? "Everything I have is Yours!" Besides, we do not have much. Speaking to God like this is not a loss for you. In fact, God also says, "Everything I have is Yours!"
Do you remember what the father said to the elder son in Luke 15? "All that I have is yours!" Can you say, "Lord, all that I have is Yours!" If you often declare this, you will not feel insecure because you know this God is particularly generous and loves you deeply.
"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance." This is what God has given you. God gives you a good inheritance in pleasant places. Learn to think about things above, and your heart will become increasingly peaceful, joyful, and secure. No matter how the world changes, what God gives you is the best. Amen!
"I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel." Believe that the promises and words God gives us are certainly good for us. Only when you think this way will you be willing to act according to God’s words, thinking about His words during the day and at night. Amen!
"My heart also instructs me in the night seasons." What does this mean? It means letting God’s words guide you day and night. Some say it is impossible; how could it be? It is indeed possible. Think about it: if you watch many negative things during the day, you will dream about negative things at night. If you watch horror movies during the day, you will dream about all kinds of ghosts at night. Conversely, if you often think about God’s promises and His words during the day, you will also dream about His words at night. This word will also guide you at night. Amen!
"I have set the Lord always before me." This is the method of victory for the psalmist. How do we practice this? Let God’s words not depart from your mouth; speak them often, think about them often, meditate on them often. Amen!
"Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." The right hand in the Bible refers to the place of victory and glory. Let God become the most important part of your life, and you will not be shaken. Amen! Therefore, thinking about things above will keep your heart from wavering.
Thus, "my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices." How wonderful! Believers, you must believe in God because this God is good. He knows how to help us live differently. He also hopes that you are joyful, happy, and filled with His glory! Why do so many believers not live out God’s image? Because they think too much about earthly matters. Amen!
You must set your minds on things above. What is mentioned in this article? There Christ sits at the right hand of God. Thank the Lord! You should often meditate like this. Thinking about things above means thinking about who is up there? It is Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, with Christ sitting at the right hand of God.
Let me ask you a question: Why is Jesus sitting at the right hand of God? Because He completed the work of redemption. The roles of the Trinity are very clear. In the Old Testament, God the Father Jehovah created the heavens and the earth, creating all things and creating man. Then His work of creation was completed. After man fell into sin, redemption was needed. The Son, Jesus, came to do the work of redemption. He came to this world in the form of flesh, died on the cross for our sins, accomplishing everything you need. He restored our relationship with the Heavenly Father, fulfilled God’s righteousness, completed the law, redeemed your sins, and placed His resurrected life within you, which is the Holy Spirit, now dwelling in you. The Holy Spirit guides your life; as long as you live by the Holy Spirit, you can live out the image of Christ because He has prepared everything you need. You only need to receive God’s words and let the Holy Spirit help you live it out, and you will find rest.
This rest is not death; it is a victorious mindset. What does this mean? Before doing anything, you already believe that it will succeed because the Holy Spirit helps you, and God’s words guide you, so it will succeed. Although there may be some bumps and obstacles along the way, it does not matter; it will still succeed. No one can hinder God’s will.
So why do so many believers not find rest? Because their focus is wrong; they think too much about earthly matters: "What news happened today?" making them anxious and uneasy. "What happened today? My body is uncomfortable again," making them fearful. They keep looking at this world and its matters, so naturally, they do not find rest!
1 John 2:15-17:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Do not misunderstand this passage. Many people hastily say: "To love God means not to love the world, so there is no need to keep any money in this world or to put too much energy into it!" That is not the meaning. Not loving the world and the things in the world has its limits. Some say: "If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you." If you love money and think about making money, you do not love God. That is not the correct understanding.
Verse 16 has already made it clear what is meant by loving the world and the things in the world. It refers to three categories: For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, what is the lust of the flesh? It is to eat better, to plan for one’s body, all kinds of things for one’s flesh to be better; the lust of the eyes is the pursuit of spiritual enrichment, to feel comfortable inside, to have richer spiritual pursuits; and the pride of life refers to things one can boast about. All these things are centered around self, and that is the problem. If everything is centered around self, you will naturally not love God because you are thinking only of yourself.
Jesus came to this world to fulfill the Father’s will. Everything He did was for our good. If we center on Christ, God will give you wealth to help more people instead of enjoying it alone. God will give you a high position so you can exercise more talents, also for helping and building others. Even if God gives you more, you will not be proud because you know that all of this is God’s; everything I have is God’s. Amen! This is what comes from God.
If it is centered on self, whether it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, it will bring disaster to people. Amen! Many things in this world are centered on self, and that is the problem. The focus is not above but on this world and oneself. The world and its lusts are passing away. Why does God not want us to be completely self-centered? Because that will lead to harming others or taking others’ things or lives to fulfill oneself. But God is willing to bless us, making us channels of blessing. He gives to us, and we give out again; this is what God desires.
The world and its lusts are temporary. Why must you place your eyes and everything on temporary things? There is no need for that!
But he who does the will of God abides forever. Again, you must set your minds on things above, think about what Jesus Christ has done; those are eternal and worth doing. Every morning when you wake up, the first thing should be to align your thoughts in the right direction, which is Jesus Christ, focusing on the words of Christ.
I encourage everyone to read a passage of the Bible first thing in the morning, listen to our daily grace, even if it is just for two or three minutes, to let God’s words fill your heart. If you do not do this, often when you wake up, the first thing you might do is check for any exciting news or think about what work you have to do. As long as it is not on God’s words, these things will bring you pressure and negative thoughts, making you feel uncomfortable. Therefore, I encourage everyone to change the way you live. Amen!
Before you get up in the morning, while lying in bed, you can start thinking about God’s words. Amen! Otherwise, think about what unbelievers think when they wake up. They think about who wronged them in the past or who deliberately found fault with them yesterday. These thoughts will appear one by one in their minds, and they will think: "It is raining outside today; I don’t want to go to work! I have so many problems; I don’t know if I can pay off my debts!" If they always think about such things in the world, their mood will be very low, and they will lack motivation to do things.
So, when you wake up, boldly declare using Christ’s words. You can say to the person in the mirror: "In the name of the Lord Jesus, you are God’s beloved child! In the name of the Lord Jesus, this is a beautiful day! I am filled with expectation for today. Amen!" After declaring this, when you go out, you will find it really is different because you truly believe the Holy Spirit is with you. You step out with enthusiasm and faith, believing that the Holy Spirit will lead you on the path ahead, and good things will happen. When you think this way, do you realize that every day we live in Christ, living in God’s words? This is setting your minds on things above. Amen!
You may say you have never lived like this before, but now you need to reset your thought patterns, throwing away all the negative and pessimistic thoughts from the past. Do not feel regretful; do not say: "It’s impossible; I can’t do it!" Try it! Let the Holy Spirit help you learn to pray about everything first. This is definitely not a formula or a process; it is from your heart. It is like asking a very famous strategist before doing something: "What should I do about this?" This is prayer; you are asking God what you should do.
If you often think about God’s words, over time, you will establish a very close relationship with God, and you will feel how God leads you. Therefore, I suggest everyone start practicing with small things, breaking through your past limitations. Many things you did not dare to do in the past, now try it! Let the Holy Spirit guide you. After praying, try to do it while praying. Thank the Lord! You will find it really is different. This is how we act according to the words of the One above.
I am not asking you to ignore feelings and environments. I hope you can declare the promises God has given you in Christ. Even if the environment is terrible, you can say: "God makes me soar like an eagle, renewing my strength. I will run and not grow weary; I will walk and not faint. I believe today is a beautiful day. Hallelujah!" If we do not declare this, we will think about our weaknesses and problems. Thank the Lord! Therefore, think about things above. This is not a one-time thing; it is a habit to cultivate every day. Amen!
Although there will be problems, I can still enjoy this day, believing it is a different day. God has prepared rich blessings for me, whether at work, in my workplace, or at home. Good things will happen when I go out. Unexpected things may occur, but they will not affect my ultimate reception of God’s blessings. We must not change this mindset. No matter what happens, we still believe that God is in control, and He can lead us to ultimately benefit. Hallelujah! This is how Paul was able to be victorious in all things, and I hope you can learn to live like Paul. Amen!
Verse 3 says: "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Because you have died, this refers to your old life, the life of Adam, the limited and weak life, the original self. The moment you believed in Jesus, that old self died. You can no longer live with the mindset of the old man; remember this. Now it is no longer you who live.
Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
I, the old me, have been crucified with Christ. The old man is dead. So who is living now? As we just mentioned, it is the Holy Spirit, that is, Christ living in me. Wherever you go, you must know that now I live is Christ living in me. This body is now used by Christ. He is the Son of God. What kind of power does He have? You need to study the Bible; what can He do? You need to look at the Bible; how does He speak? You need to look at the Bible. In this way, you will know your life is different. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. Simply put, you and Christ are both in God. As Christ is, so are you in this world. Christ is your life. Amen!
Now you can think about what kind of life Christ has. It is a victorious life! Yes, He has already won in all things. He has overcome death, overcome sickness, and overcome all problems. Is it an abundant life? Yes, it is an abundant life because He constantly supplies others, and He does not need anyone to supply Him with anything. The true God does not need anyone to supply Him with anything. Even if people want to give to Him, He takes what people give, blesses it, and then gives it back to people. Such a God shows that He is the true God; He is the abundant Lord. Because He is abundant, He is willing to give to you generously. This is the life of Christ.
Continuously think about the One above, Christ, who has sat down. What kind of life does He have now? This will help you. There is also the resurrected life. Yes, He has been resurrected from the dead. What is the resurrected life like? It is filled with glory, power, and authority. No one can kill Him again. He now has a holy spiritual body. In this world, our flesh is limited; we will age, get sick, and die, and we have many limitations. But the resurrected life of Jesus Christ has no limitations, and our future bodies will be like that.
Now the resurrected life of Christ is within you; it is just the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. When you think this way, it will greatly benefit your life. Meditating this way will also change your body, making it stronger.
I have shared three aspects of what kind of life Christ has. The rest you need to meditate on yourself, think about it, and then leave me a message, telling me what kind of life you think Christ has. Thank the Lord! How you perceive this will greatly impact your life.
Looking further: "Christ is our life; when He appears, you also will appear with Him in glory." This refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ. One day, we will also be changed like Christ and be with Him. Our bodies will change. Now the life within us is already the life of Christ. So think about how to use Christ’s life to live on this earth. It is simple; the life of Christ is accomplished according to the words of Christ. Therefore, you need to read God’s words and pray to God with His words. God will fulfill His words. Thank the Lord!
1 Peter 1:13: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
To gird up the loins of your mind means not to let your mind wander and think negatively or about things you should not think about.
Be sober and guard yourself with God’s words. Focus on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Therefore, focus on the grace of Christ, which is what you do not deserve and should not receive, but God gives it to you through Jesus. This is freely given to you. When you think about this life, your life will change, and your body will be healed and made whole. Therefore, setting your minds on things above will bring great positive effects to our lives. Thank the Lord.
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you for comforting and encouraging us through your words. Although we are on earth, we are heavenly people. Christ is our life. The old man has died, and now we are hidden with Christ in God. Now it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
As a new week begins, may the Holy Spirit guide my life and the path ahead, letting me know how to walk. I want to live out the life of Christ. Please help me. Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have is mine. I want to change my life with God’s life. Thank you, Lord, for making me your best witness. In this week, I expect good things to happen. Thank you and praise you; all glory belongs to You. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen. God bless you all!