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.
Colossians 3:1-2 ESV
When we think about how to fill our hearts with the Spirit so we experience the peace and love in our marriages that He promises, we know we need to do those things He calls us to do. We need to read and meditate on the Word every day and pray continuously, we need be in community with fellow believers, and we need to be serving others. But we can hit every one of those checkboxes and still not feel His Spirit. While those spiritual disciplines are all very important ways to fill our hearts with the love and strength of the Holy Spirit, the most important thing we need to do is set our minds on things that are above.
We all think—all day long. And what we think impacts our perspective, our moods, our decisions, our reactions, our marriages. The question is what we’re thinking about. What do we choose to set our minds on? Do you think about your thinking?
In this passage, we are reminded to set our minds on things that are above and not on the things of the earth. God wants us to be thinking about our thinking, and He wants us to make some choices about what we choose to think about. So, where is your mind set today? What are you dwelling on?
Our thoughts can be so consuming—there are so many challenges that can capture our attention during the day. Our schedules are packed with far more things than we can get done in the time we have, and at the same time, we are constantly battling the brokenness in this world. It’s a lot. There is so much to think about some days that it can be overwhelming and exhausting. What is on your mind today?
What you think about impacts your mood, it impacts your reactions and your responses, it impacts your priorities and your agenda, so where you set your mind impacts your marriage. If your mind is set on the bad day you had at work, or your failing finances, if your mind is set on the flirtations of a coworker or on the fight with your mom, if your mind is set on the doctor’s news or your pressing agenda, it’s all going to affect how you treat your spouse. If you are dwelling on your expectations or the weaknesses of your spouse, then it’s going to influence your reactions and your words. If your mind is set on your failures and your fears, it’s going to have you crying out from the pit. What you set your mind on is critical because it informs your decisions and your desires, your mood and your responses, so what you set your mind on significantly impacts your relationships.
We are told in scripture to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…
2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV
Many of us find His peace and His strength in the quiet times we spend in His Word or prayer or we feel it when we’re sitting in service, but then as we move through our day or our week, we feel the peace and strength being chipped away. What happens to that great feeling?
At the moments we’re feeling His peace and strength, our minds are set on Him. The moment we set our minds on the things of this world, His strength and His peace rush out of us. Many of us experience this on the car ride out of the church parking lot—we walk to the car on a high from the message we just heard because our minds are set on Him, but then we start thinking about our agenda for the day, feeling the stress of needing to get everything done because tomorrow is Monday, and we realize our spouse isn’t on board with our plan, and suddenly we’re arguing, wondering how we can so quickly lose the peace we just had a moment ago.
The answer can be found in this verse…are we taking every thought captive? We cannot simply watch what we say, we have to watch what we think. If we let the negative, anxious, judgmental thoughts in, the harsh, critical, resenting words and actions are soon to follow. We have to spend more time thinking about what we’re thinking about, and making those thoughts obedient to Christ.
Press on ~ you are loved 💗
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