"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. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4

I so want these verses to describe my life, and I hope it is your desire too. If we are truly His, we belong to Him. Our life is no longer our own, for we have been bought with the price of His blood. Therefore, we must keep seeking the things above us, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. We must fight off the temptation of this world to keep our eyes on pleasure and pleasing our flesh.

Our flesh will never be satisfied. It will always cry for more, and will lead to destruction eventually in every area of our lives. We do have to die to our natural desires for heavenly gain, where we gain our lives and lose nothing in the end. We must prepare for our eternity, and stop allowing ourselves to be seduced by the lies and deception of this life. We must deeply desire for our lives to be truly hidden in Christ with God. He needs to be the hiding place for all of us. It is the only safe place eternally.

What does it mean for Christ to become our life? I believe Jesus answered that when He told us the most important commandment in scripture. In Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus states:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment."

Think about it. What you love the most in your life will become your life. How can anything possibly be more valuable than knowing and loving the God who created you, who is defined as love in the Bible. No one can love you like Him.

The second greatest commandment is to love others with that same love. When we die to our selfishness, and love God more than ourselves, He enables us to love others more than ourselves. There is no greater reward in life than that. When you get ready to leave this earth please think about what really matters. No one cares how much money you have made, or what title you hold in corporate America, or how much you own, because it is all left behind. What matters are relationships you have imparted Christ in, and the love you have shown through Him for His glory, because He alone is worthy of all glory–not ourselves.

So let us ponder in our hearts and honestly answer before God, is He our all in all? Does He hold first place in all aspects of our lives? God the Father said love Him with ALL our hearts, minds, and souls.

We are warned by John to keep ourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)
In the Ten Commandments, the first commandment is:

"Thou shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3

To idolize something means to put it, or someone before God. It means to love, seek, or to depend on something more than on the Lord, This includes self-sufficiency we all struggle with. We must learn to totally depend on Him for our strength, and for wisdom and guidance in our choices.

You will always find Him faithful when you call upon Him. It doesn’t mean He will always give you what you want, but it does mean you will live a heavenly quality of life verses earthly. You will be rewarded for obedience beyond any measure you can imagine. Let us focus on the last promise in our verses today:

"When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."

It doesn’t get better than that dear ones!

In His love.

Teresa Roberts

Masterpiece Fitness

www.masterpiecefitness.com

276-237-6680

Two of God’s great gifts to me throughout my life have been dogs and horses. I love all animals, but these two have been very significant. He blessed me just before my birthday with "Braveheart." He showed up and adamantly took residence with no discussion. I reluctantly complied to his wishes and we are deeply in love!