Search for the above/Colossians 3:1-4
In anthropology, upright animals that walk on two legs with their heads toward the sky are called higher animals, and those that seek things on the ground with their heads facing the ground and creeping on four legs are called lower animals. In religious studies, religions that look for the things above and seek the things above are called high religions, and those that seek only the earthly things and seek the earthly things are called lower religions.
In the text, Paul instructs the Colossians not to think about earthly things, but to look for things above. What kind of land did we live in, so he would say this? Also, what is the earthly thing that Paul was talking about, and what is the above thing?
1. Think about the land we live in.
According to Genesis, the land we live in was originally created as a beautiful land and a beautiful land (Genesis 1:4,10,13,18,21,31). Every day God created all things, 'it was good'.
But after Adam's transgression, all the harmonious state of the earth was destroyed, and all things in nature lost their balance of beauty. From then on, man was awakened to sin (Genesis 3:7), and the earth was covered with thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18). A war began in which brothers killed brothers (Genesis 4:8), and a flood that engulfed all living things on the earth began (Genesis 7:8). Earthquakes and natural disasters that shook the earth continued. Such an environment is the reality of the earth we live in.
Consider the recent natural disasters around the world. Aren't these unprecedented and terrifying disasters? In the United States and Japan, earthquakes with a magnitude of 6-7 occurred. In the case of Japan, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 caused a lot of damage to life and property. The earthquake occurred at 11:58 a.m. on September 1. 142,000 people were killed, 43,000 were missing and more than 100,000 were injured. Hundreds of thousands of houses have been disseminated or destroyed, and some have been lost. A single earthquake caused enormous loss of life and property.
Abnormalities of natural disasters are appearing all over the world. There are three catastrophes that human power cannot stop. War, plague (epidemic) and natural disasters. Earthquakes are the most terrifying of natural disasters. And the most terrifying earthquakes are earthquakes that crack the ground. In Numbers 16:31, the earth was divided and swallowed up Korah and all the families and buildings belonging to Korah. "At the same time they had finished saying all these things, the land beneath them was divided. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their families and all who belonged to Korah and their things, and they and all their belongings fell alive into the grave, and the earth fell into the grave. As above, they perished from the assembly” (Numbers 16:31-33).
These wars, sicknesses, and natural disasters are all the result of human sins. Consider the case of David (2 Samuel 24:1-7; 1 Chronicles 21:1-14). When God's blessing brought him to punish the north and south and to show off his national power, David forgot God's help and thought that the country had become so powerful by his own power. David became arrogant and ordered the leaders of the people and General Joab to be drafted into military service. God was displeased with this, and after speaking of the three plagues through the prophet, He had them choose one of them. Is it three years of famine, three months of defeat by the enemy, or three days of plague? David chose a three-day plague, during which 70,000 people died in the plague.
The calamity that Korah suffered was the calamity he suffered because of his resentment (1 Corinthians 10:10), and the calamity that David suffered because of his pride. If we sinned in front of God nationally, God gave the disaster of war. If we sinned nationally, there were disasters of natural disasters. If we sin individually, God spread a terrible disease. Through this, God helps people repent of their sins and You made me awake.
David Mok also realized that many people had died because of God's discipline, and he paid 600 shekels of gold to buy a threshing floor at Ornan, built an altar there, and offered peace offerings and burnt offerings to the Lord (1 Chronicles 21:26-27).
2. He told me not to think about things on earth.
What does earthly mean? Jesus said three things about earthly things in Matthew 6:31-32. It is a question of "what shall we eat, what shall we drink, and what shall we wear?" People consider the three essentials for human survival. I don't think people can live without one of them. But they became so obsessed with things on earth that people stopped looking for things above. Hebrews 2:3 tells us not to neglect this great salvation. This verse tells us not to forget the great salvation of heaven while pursuing earthly things. "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).
We live in the world, but we shouldn't be too attached to the world. You are in the world, but you must not fall into the world. A boat can only perform its functions on water. If seawater enters the bottom of the ship, the ship will sink. Jesus said. “Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life.”
3. The word to seek the things above means to have faith with longing for God.
“As a deer longs for streams, so my soul thirsts for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). The psalmist's soul longed for a living God.
Humans are inherently seeking beings. People seek wealth. However, even in a wealthy country like the United States, it is said that the amount of money they give to spirit mediums is 120 billion won a year. This is evidence that they are affluent but not satisfied. People seek political freedom. But even here, the condition is often worse. People seek satisfaction here as they pursue the advancement of science and medicine. However, no matter how advanced science and medicine are, only more lethal weapons are produced, and diseases such as cancer and AIDS that are difficult to treat appear. After all, the things humans seek in the world will never bring satisfaction or complete solutions.
The word to seek the things above means to have faith with a longing for God. If you seek God, God promises to meet you. The greatest blessing and climax of our human soul is to meet God. By meeting God, all our tribes disappear and we are filled with contentment. Augustine said, "After meeting God, I found true rest in my soul." Those who have met God will find eternal satisfaction and joy in this world and in the world to come.
Wherever we seek God, there is new hope. Wherever we sincerely seek God, there is true peace. Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he does not add sorrow to it." It is said that if a person pursues anything in the world, disaster will eventually follow, but where he seeks and seeks God, he will bring blessings without sorrow.
We must seek God no matter what problems we have. Here is the complete solution. Let us all become saints who seek the above.