Upward and Godward part 2
Here's where I want to make kind of a pretty important distinction about the word "above." Because my key passage for Scripture for this Rant series uses it twice: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:1-2). It is number 507 in Strong's Greek Concordance both times. And it means, "upward or on the top:- above, brim, high, up." I think this is kind of why we always look UP to the heavens. Or why we speak about the "Big guy upstairs." There's this idea that when we die there is an elevator that either takes us up or down. Like a physical "above." But, like the title of this Rant series suggests, it's both upward and GODward. And, as we know, God isn't on a planet somewhere three miles south of Mars. God is in... us. So "on the top," to me, referes to something more than just a physical location. And I have to admit, I got this revelation from my son, Logan. Because I always quote Stone Cold Steve Austin when I'm trying to get my point across: That's the bottom line. And one day I said that to Logan. And he looked at me a little funny and said, "Don't you mean the TOP line? Because that's where you put what's most important. On the top." All I could do was smile. Because in that moment Colossians chapter 3 made a lot more sense to me. It's not about "getting" to the top. Jesus said, "But many that are first shall be last; and the last first" (Mark 10:31). When the people of earth tried to build a tower up to heaven... God wasn't having it. He doesn't want us to try to climb the ladder, in that sense. He wants us to focus on those things that are MOST IMPORTANT. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matthew 23:23). Priorities. What's most important. What's at the top of the list. And notice, He didn't say not to do the others. We all have to take care of business. My pastor always uses the example of, "When your cable bill is due, call up Comcast and tell them how much you love Jesus. See where that gets you." Spoiler alert: It won't get you very far. But the point is, there are more important things than cable. The point is, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:31-33). Which, by the way, is HOW we set our affection on things above. We seek FIRST the Kingdom. We make righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost our priority. Not in the sense of seeking it to get it because we think we don't have it. But in the sense of seeking it to discover what we DO have. We make LOVE the priority and then everything else falls into place. Because God is revealing Himself to us. We don't have to "figure Him out." We simply ought to let Him show us who He is. Reveal Himself to us, and in us, and through us, and as us. Reveal LOVE to us, and in us, and through us, and as us!