This past week of study was spent on dissecting Colossians 3:1-17. There is much goodness wrapped up in those verses so I encourage you to take the time to read all of them for yourself.
As for me, the timing was such that there were no better verses for me to settle on than these two:
“So if your serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.” (Colossians 3:1-2, MSG)
We can become so absorbed with circumstances in our lives and the introspection (OK, naval gazing), we can miss all which is going on around us. God is always at work, doing far more than we even imagine. And the enemy of our souls would love to trip us up with the pettiness which life affords us each day.
How do we combat this?
In the words of Paul, we must, “Look up.”
Where we set our sights will determine not only what we see but how we will think.
If we truly desire to think differently, we are going to need to see things from His perspective. Every day we have the choice as to where we will look, which in turn will determine how we will view the day. And that choice is ours and ours alone – – –
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” (as quoted by Viktor Frankl, a brilliant doctor who was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp)
As we decide where we will set our sights, we determine the course of our day and the development of our character. And God is more interested in each of us developing character which looks more and more like Jesus every day.
Look up.
Look past.
See things from His perspective.
Today I am joining … Inspire Me Monday and #Smallwonder and Playdates With God and Create With Joy and Making Your Home Sing .
I love your encouragement to us to “look up.” It’s far more critical than we give it credit for! It can really turn around our attitude, our day, our relationships, if we can apply it more often.
Lisa, I so agree. It is as I learn to continually look up that I find I am less stuck in & seeing the opportunities He places before me. As you so rightly stated, “if we can apply it more often” š Praying for the more often!
I quite agree…but there are time when we do have to look down, to place one foot in front of the other. The air or Heaven may be too rarefied for our lungs, and the light too bright, and we have to accept our place, where we are, and move on from there.
That’s where faith is born, I think, and no one ever called birth ‘easy’. At least, no one ever said it to a lady who had a child, and lived!
I love this, Andrew… I just had to say so. You are spot on, at least to me.
Andrew, you have presented a most interesting thought. Perhaps it is as we have a blend of both seeing where we are AND looking up that we find ourselves filled with faith. I agree, living a faith-filled life is not easy.
My blog name comes from Hebrews 12:2 and Psalm 34:5…my goal daily is to fix my eyes on Jesus and shine for Him. I love your picture and your message today encourages me to keep going! Keep going….
Blessings of great joy, friend, on your amazing journey with Jesus…looking up!
Lisa
Lisa, I am so grateful you were encouraged. With our eyes fixed on Him, there is no telling where we will find ourselves. And He will be with us in each step of the way.
Amen, my friend! Look up – from where our help comes from! Yes! (And yet – oh my… how we all can forget in the thick of it, right?) Such a great reminder!
Psalm 121 – one of my favorite psalms, Karrileea. It is so true – I can so easily forget. May I remember TODAY that He keeps watch over me as I come & go. He is before us & after us. Thank you for the reminder!
What a neat translation of these verses. One to really ponder. I call it cloud chasing. Looking up at the cloud and see outside of yourself. Even just the physical act of looking up changes my spirit. Powerful question to ask ourselves each day: where are we looking?
Jean, I am grateful you share how the physical act of looking up can change our spirit. It’s true! And our wise God knew we would need those reminders of sunshine and cloud formations and stars and the moon and rainbows. He was so faithful to give us beauty which in turn would cause us to look up. So grateful today for the words you shared!
Naval gazing…lol, made me smile. I am guilty of looking everywhere but up at times. Wonderful thoughts today of where our help and deliverance come from.
Nannette, while you may look everywhere but up, I pull back & get introspective & fail to look up. So not good. I want to look up so I can look out & continue to see the opportunities He places before me. I don’t want to miss what He is doing right where I am at this moment. Blessings as you look up!
Ah, I love this! I’ve definitely fallen into fits of ‘navel gazing’ a time or two! It’s so important to keep our eyes fixed UP–when we’re looking to Christ, it makes the world so much easier to handle!
Anita, I can so tend to pull back & become introspective. So not good! It is only as I look up, see things from His perspective that I begin to see the opportunities He provides right where I am at this moment in time. May we continue to look up & see His activity in our lives & around our lives. Blessings!
Maybe, too, there is a companionship between the two – between looking inward (to understand, to deal, to let go, to grow) and taking breaks to look up and out (to look for the larger perspective)? Thank you for sharing with Small Wonder.
Yes š I said the same thing in response to Andrew’s comment above. Perhaps it is as we have a blend of both seeing where we are AND looking up that we find ourselves filled with faith. I agree, living a faith-filled life is not easy. Grateful you shared. Blessings!
Thank you! It seems so simple to just look to Jesus, yet hard to do many times. But, when I’ve looked up to God for my help, it has brought me so much peace in my life and the situation I’m going through. Perspective changes everything.
It is hard to do, Kathy. We often need the reminder. Or at least I do š Keep your eyes on Him as He never disappoints. Blessings!