Set Your Mind on Things Above: More Than a Morning Thought
"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)
Set your mind on things above. It sounds simple enough — until your day actually starts. Most of us can focus on Christ during quiet time or a worship service. But somewhere between the first email and the third interruption, our minds drift back to earth and stay there. So what does it actually look like to set your mind on things above — not just in a moment, but as a way of life?
It starts with focus. Setting your mind on things above is a daily, deliberate commitment to orient your thoughts toward Christ and His work. It means training your mind to notice where God is at work around you and to join in. It means filtering what you dwell on through what Paul calls "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure" — Philippians 4:8 (ESV). That doesn't happen by accident. It happens through practice — the same way any discipline shapes you over time.
But focus alone isn't enough. There's also priority — ensuring earthly concerns don't quietly take over. Paul gets specific in the same chapter, listing what belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, anger, slander and obscene talk. These aren't just "big sins" — they're the things that creep in and dominate our attention when we're not intentional. The question isn't whether earthly things will compete for your focus. They will. The question is whether you've decided in advance what takes priority.
Underlying both focus and priority is something deeper — identity. Paul doesn't start Colossians 3 with a command. He starts with a reality: "If then you have been raised with Christ." That's not an aspiration. That's a fact about who you are. You are someone who has been raised with Christ, freed from the bondage of sin, and made alive to walk in newness of life. Setting your mind on things above isn't about trying harder to think spiritual thoughts. It's about living as who you already are.
That's the part we forget. We treat "set your mind on things above" like a task on the to-do list — something we squeeze in between meetings. But Paul is saying something far more fundamental: you've been raised with Christ, so think like it. Live like it. Let that reality reshape what captures your attention, what you chase, and how you see yourself.
Big Idea
Setting your mind on things above isn't a morning exercise you complete before the day begins. It's a daily orientation of focus, priority, and identity — rooted not in effort but in the reality that you have already been raised with Christ.
Questions to Ponder
What captures your attention most throughout the day — and does it reflect where your identity truly lies? Do you have a quiet time in the morning but then forget about God once your day begins? Why do you think that is? What would it look like to carry the reality of Colossians 3:1 — that you've been raised with Christ — into your afternoon, not just your morning?
Application
This week, pick one part of your daily routine — your commute, your lunch break, or the first fifteen minutes after work — and dedicate it to refocusing on Christ. Not a full devotional, just a pause: read Colossians 3:1-2 and ask, "Am I living today as who I already am in Christ?" Let that one question become a habit that outlasts the week.
Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.