Look Up
“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.”
Having been an engineer most of my adult life, I am quite familiar with the old joke that starts with, “How do you know if you are talking to an extroverted engineer?” The answer, of course, is, “The extroverted engineer will be staring at your feet instead of their own.”
Often, we as Christians can get caught up in “staring at our feet,” so to speak. We get near-sighted and only see what’s right in front of our faces. The “tyranny of the urgent” demands our attention, or we get bogged down in the everyday concerns and anxieties of this world that slowly eat away at our joy. A person doesn’t have to spend much time following the latest news to become a bit discouraged and/or distracted.
Sometimes our myopia is caused by things outside of our control, demanding our immediate attention, such as a severe illness, the death of a loved one, or a seemingly insurmountable, unexpected financial burden. And those things can overwhelm us if we let them. But I don’t recall Jesus ever saying anything like, “Oh, just keep plodding along. I want to see how much of this you can handle on your own.” On the contrary, He promises to be with us wherever we may go and that God will provide everything we need.
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”
At other times, we voluntarily limit our vision to the near field by choosing to focus our attention on the things of this world, whether that be for building wealth (supposed security), social influence, or our own entertainment and pleasure, as just a few examples. Either way, our vision may be constrained to only the things in our limited, immediate field of view. Even when it’s voluntary—our choice—that can be a spiritually dark and depressing place.
That’s why Paul encourages us as believers to “seek the things that are above” and to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” He knows that walking around looking only at our feet and the ground immediately in front of us (the world) is like walking on a mountain trail close to the edge of a precipice with only a dim, AAA battery-powered pen light. It can be downright terrifying. Paul says, “Look up!” “Let God’s infinite, glorious light illumine the path before you!”
John writes of Jesus, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4)
What a gift we’ve been given! To be able to look up and know that God sees and loves us. Non-believers do not have that option! They are lost, and without the hope and security we have in Jesus!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
We are God’s children! We have fellowship with Him now, and an eternal future of being in the very presence of the Creator of the universe! There is nothing that this world has to offer that can compare with that! Jesus encourages us to keep our eyes on Him and build our treasure in heaven rather than exhaust ourselves trying to gain worldly wealth for the false sense of security it temporarily provides.
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
The apostle John also warns us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1Jn 2:15a). Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,…” (Romans 12:2a). In other words, “Look up!”
Prayer:
Father in heaven, forgive us for the times when we take our eyes off of You and succumb to the fears and anxieties of this world. And especially forgive us for the times that we willfully focus our attention on worldly things that pull us away from You. Forgive our wandering hearts and remind us of the truth of Your ever-present help and love for us. Remind us that we are Your children and do not belong to, or in this world, for You have redeemed us. And we praise Your holy Name! Amen
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
