Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
There's so much in this one verse that is descriptive of the life here on earth as a human being, in light of an encounter with Christ.
Think about the very first two words of this verse that say so much in and of themselves: "since you." The "since" is referring to something that has happened before what we're saying right now. There is something that has unfolded in your life that we need to live in light of, and this "since" is an encounter with Jesus.
Salvation has come to your life through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. You have realized your inability in your own humanity to navigate this life, and you surrendered everything you have to the lordship, the headship of Jesus that He would be Savior and He would be the rescuer.
So "since you" are a new creation, it tells us in 2 Corinthians chapter 5—you now who have been redeemed and restored by the work of Christ, you who are still here on earth in the wake of what Christ has done, have some things to think about in terms of how you live.
Raised to New Life
Since you have been raised to new life, there's something that should be true about your mentality. It says because of this rescue, because of the "since," because you have been redeemed, it says to set your mind on the things that are above where Christ is. This is so amazing. To set your sights on Him is an instruction that guides and directs our steps as we are living here on earth.
A Christmas List
It's really simple for me to get an image of what it means to set your sights on something. I think about, as a dad, my kids when it comes to Christmas time. Maybe you don't have kids, but maybe you remember being a kid and making a Christmas list.
I know that there are times where, as a kid, I might have, with my sights set on a particular gift, made my list in a particular way that might have helped me out. I remember one year there was something I really wanted—a remote control car—and I put it on my Christmas list and I put it at number one, but also I put it at number four and number seven. I wove it into the list multiple times because I was trying to convey, "This is what I really want."
In other words, I had set my sights on this remote control car, and it's easy when you think of it in terms of like a kid with a toy or something they want. If they've set their mind to that, it's very relatable for us to understand they're not going to waver from that. They're going to keep a resolve to make sure that this is the thing that they long for in pursuit.
The Heart of the Matter
When you set your mind on something, it's indicative of the fact that this thing is uber important, and it's essential for you to keep at your forefront of your view. As silly as it is to make a parallel with a kid and some toy, this is what Paul is instructing in this verse.
Since you've been rescued by Jesus, since you've been redeemed and restored, your old life is gone. There's a new life ahead. The Spirit of God is directing and guiding your steps. No longer do you set your sights on what this world has to say about you—the messages, the words, the ideas that are tried to be placed upon you as labels. These are not the things that you set your mind on.
You set your sights on the things that are above, what is true about you as a redeemed son or daughter of God. And we live as different on earth when we set our minds on the things that are above.
