Title: Think, not think (Colossians 3:1-4)
Contents
Colossians 3 tells us to think about the things above and not the things of the earth as a life principle for Christians.
All human beings think and live. A thought is an interest or desire for something and a state of mind that leads to an action. Therefore, what you think and live is a person's values.
People who live with good thoughts are called good people. If so, what are Christians thinking? This is a Christian thought. What, then, is Christian thinking? A Christian is a person from above, that is, a person belonging to the kingdom of God. Of course, he has good thoughts and pursues the things of God. However, although a Christian is a person from above, because he lives on earth, he will face many things in his life's journey just like the people of the world. However, Christians live with different principles of life from those of the world.
First: a thought to pray
When Christians encounter sad things in their lives, they should pray first, and overcome their sorrows through prayer, without falling into sorrow. If you have an incurable disease, don't be anxious or despair, but think ahead of prayer so that God can heal you or you can have the assurance of eternal life even if you die. When you meet a bad person, don't bother yourself with anger and injustice. First, you must endure anger through prayer, ask for wisdom to deal with it, and pray so that that person becomes a good person.
If you have met a good person and have received grace, you must first think of repaying it with prayer. I have no way of repaying the favor, but I must pray that God will hear my prayer and reward the person. When faced with hardships, we should pray first so that the hardships do not become a snare of temptation, but an opportunity to increase our faith.
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above. where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (verse 1). “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
A Christian is a person of higher rank who thinks to pray first no matter what they encounter or what circumstances they are in, and they are those who consult with God and entrust everything to God. As a person of Christ, the best and best choice in life is to think about prayer in any situation and get down on your knees to God. Therefore, when you give us the heart to pray anytime and anywhere, we must pray without quenching the Holy Spirit.
One Sunday night in April 1912, a woman in the United States was unable to sleep, frustrated, and fearful thoughts flooded in her and tormented her. She felt that she had to “pray,” and immediately got up and prayed earnestly for her husband, who was crossing the Atlantic on the Titanic at that time. Even so, her frustration and anxiety did not go away. She continued to pray earnestly, finally finding peace of mind, convinced that God had heard her prayers, and fell asleep. That night, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, her husband, Colonel Gracie, crashes into an iceberg and sits on the sinking deck of the Titanic, who gives up all the thought of living and moves desperately to save any children and women aboard a lifeboat. There was. Eventually the giant Titanic sank, and at the same time he was sucked into the sea. Then, suddenly, his body floated to the surface in a strong current, and he found a lifeboat overturned right next to it, and got into the lifeboat with a few people around him. It was five in the morning, exactly the same time that his wife was confidently asleep.
“Prayer never dies. Even after the person who prayed for it dies, that prayer lives and works.” These are the words of the British missionary, Bounds, who did missions in China. Prayer is a mysterious way through which finite humans can be empowered by God. Just as Christians change the channels of TV, they must turn their thoughts back to God in all circumstances and under all unfavorable conditions.
Second: think of things above
The Bible calls earthly thoughts ‘fornication, uncleanness, lust, lust, and covetousness’ and tells us to kill our members on earth (verse 5). The reason is that the wrath of God is coming (verse 6).
On the other hand, the upper thoughts are 'mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, long-suffering, forgiveness, love', and they are all to be clothed with (verses 12-14).
‘Think of the things above’ This means to seek the existence of God, the goodness, truth, righteousness, and life of God, and emphasizes the close spiritual life with Jesus Christ. “Up” is not a physical direction, but a spiritual direction toward God.
St. Francesco always lived in pursuit of the above, but he especially thought of the Lord of the Cross day and night. If you think about it, the results will come as you think. When we always, much, think of the above thoughts, we will be revealed and become compassionate, merciful, humble, gentle, long-suffering, forgiving, and loving. "everyday. If you can be with the Lord, or if you can spend just two minutes with your face, face, heart, and heart, that person's life will change. Time with Christ will have the greatest impact of any human effort,” said H. Drummond.
To be able to transcend the thoughts of the earth is to conquer the things of the earth with the thoughts above. Christians are those who are satisfied with God's providence by thinking of the above. One day, a boy got angry at his mother's words and ran to the valley and said, "I hate you! I hate you!” he exclaimed. Then, “I hate you! I hate you!” came a voice. The startled boy ran to his mother and said, “Mom, some bad guy hid in the valley and shouted ‘I hate you!’” “Yeah? Go back and shout ‘I love you’.” The boy did what his mother said, and he heard “I love you”. The boy ran to his mother again and said the same thing. “Son, all you need to know in your lifetime is that you get what you give and hear what you say. This is the law of life.” It's a mother's lesson.
If you think of the above, you own the above, and you become the above person. Life is what I say I hear, and what I do I receive. Therefore, you should not be enslaved or obsessed with the momentary desires of the world.
“The world and its lusts pass away, but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
Third: think the result
Why are you stabbed by a thorn? Because he touched the thorn. Why is it dirty? It's because you weren't careful or stepped on the dirt. Why are you scammed? Because I met a scammer.
It is an unexpected result. The result of one's life is that you are the cause-provider. It's not anyone's fault. Whether my life is good or bad is not controlled by other people, but by me. The success or failure of life is yours, no matter what the cause. Christians are wise people. The wise man of the above, before speaking or taking action, first asks, “What will be the result if I say this?” “What will happen if I do this?” I think. Those who think before making a statement, before taking action, and looking forward to the outcome are those who live above them. Those who belong to the above will never be met with unfortunate consequences.
All human beings are living beings. But they are not equally happy. Happiness is the property of those who live by longing for the things above. Christians must endure present hardships and adversity with anticipation for the future. Those who have a future are blessed even if the present life is painful. The reason is that God is with those who think about the consequences and are not reckless because of the present life.
Why do parents educate, discipline, and exhort their children? This is to avoid bad consequences for your children. So is God. He is telling our beloved children to think above things rather than earthly things in order to see the results of a good tomorrow. Great and wonderful people are those who think about the consequences in their words and actions.
Thieves, scammers, murderers... Who are imprisoned in prison as prisoners? These are people who live only the moment without thinking about the consequences of their words and actions. As Christians, we need to think about consequences, choose our words and actions, be careful, and be sensible. The Christian life must be lived without regrets. We must make ourselves into Christians who live by thinking about the consequences of how our thoughts today will shape our lives in the future. The present me is the result of my past thoughts, and the future me is the result of my present thoughts.
Sound travels 340 meters per second, and light travels 186,000 miles per second, which means 7 and a half revolutions around the Earth in 1 second. But the fastest thing in the world is nothing but an idea. Thoughts can go around the earth dozens of times in a flash. Thoughts can sit still and come home, or even go to a department store. There's nowhere you can't go.
Man is the master of thought, and thought rules man. Any thought becomes its cause and its effect. 9191 Evangelism at the Festival of Life is what God is most pleased with. Think about the results and do it. Become a person who is loved by God.