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by Rev. Ray Dupere from SCORE
(Bible reference ‘Colossians 3:1-3’) Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Do you ever find yourself stymied by Scripture itself, when you wrestle with trying to live the Christian life? I do, all the time! That's primarily because I find certain things that the Bible says hard to understand. The first two verses above are an example of what I mean. What exactly does it mean when it says we should "set our minds on the things above"? How do we do that, and live in this fallen world? When we have to think about so many earthly things (i.e. families, work, homes to keep up, food on the table, cars that break down (mine does anyway), etc., etc.), where do we find the time to "seek the things above"? And even when we do have the time, what do we think about? Scripture doesn't actually tell us much about heaven, apart from some streets of gold, and some fruit trees and a river running through it. So, how do we think about things above.
When I first shared these thoughts with those who attended the CIM meeting in Milton Keynes back in February, I said that I really hadn't figured out how to do that very much. However, that was before I read a book called "Heaven" by a guy named Randy Alcorn. All of a sudden, I have found that there are all kinds of things to think about when it comes to the subject of heaven -- more than I ever thought possible. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who is at all interested in such things! Let me give you two tidbits, just to wet your appetite.
First, start with what life on earth must have been like for Adam & Eve. What was this world like when there was no evil or sin, or any stain whatsoever that is a result of the Fall. Try to do some imagining about that. And then, ask yourself how would the world have developed if sin had never entered in. Keeping in mind that if Adam & Eve had never sinned, we would be today, even as you read this, living in "the eternal state". What would the world look like today if Satan had never won the day? Would there be great cities, or would we all still be tilling our own farms? Would there be great art & literature & drama & music? Would there be universities, or would there even be the need to learn. Would we even have jobs? And if so, would there be differing degrees of responsibilities? Would we still be riding horses or donkeys, or would there be cars & planes, etc.? And ... if there would be cars, would it be OK to race them, if Adam & Eve had never sinned? To my mind, the answer to that one would have to be that if it's OK to race them in a Fallen world, then it certainly would be OK to race them in an unFallen one.
Now for the second point ... Revelations 21:1 says that when God's plan for the ages is done, then there will be "a New Heaven and a New Earth". And, the New Earth will our eternal home. It will literally be ... "heaven on earth"! So, what will that New Earth (heaven) be like? What if, the New Earth is simply earth restored to its former glory as it was before the Fall? What if God's plan for the ages to come is what it would have been in the first place if Adam & Eve had never sinned. And, what if, that then means there might be cars in heaven? And, what if that then means that there might be racing in heaven? It certainly does provide some interesting food for thought, doesn't it? It certainly makes it easier to begin doing what Scripture says. At least now I have an idea of how to "set my mind on the things above".
In closing let me say one last thing. None of the imagining above can properly be done without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. For, as verse 3 says, "we have died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God". Only those who have trusted in Jesus' death on the cross for their sins can say that they have died with Christ. So, only those who know Christ can then seek after the life that is "hidden with Christ in God". And keep in mind, too, that it is hidden, not so that we cannot find it; but so that we can. Jesus wants us to want to know what the fullness of life with Him is like. Rather than just tell us outright His will for our lives, He says to each and every one of us, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." "Ask, and you shall receive. See, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened for you." God's will for each of our lives may be hidden, but it is not, and never will be inaccessible. "Search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God."
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