If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3
Living according to heaven calls for sacrifice. There are things that we have to get rid of and new things we need to hold on to. We have the Word of God as our guide. Living according to heaven causes us to walk under an open heaven, where everything that we need from heaven is released. When we live according to heaven, we don’t need to pray for natural needs because our lives would be pleasing to God and the things we need would already be given to us.
In order to live effectively according to heaven, we need to:
1) Pursue the things of heaven (verse 1)
The first step to living according to heaven is to pursue the things of heaven. We have been raised with Christ and to be raised with Christ is to be dead. We are then alive spiritually and dead to sin. We need to set our hearts on the things of heaven and crave after them. We are given direct access to the throne when we live according to heaven. Living according to heaven does not mean we don’t pursue education or our dreams but it means that we put heaven first and then everything else will fall into place. Anyone who pursues heaven understands that God will do things in the earth that are not ordinary. Anyone who pursues God, asks God for more of His heart and His will. Our greatest need is to please God. When we do this, we would be living according to God’s standards. God wants us to set our affections on Him. We need to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us. A man or woman who wants to live according to heaven, seeks the wisdom of God and not the wisdom of men.
2) Think on the things of heaven (verse 2)
Living a successful Christian life is a man or woman that thinks on the things of God. Heaven should occupy our daily thoughts and belief system, that when we think on the things of God that our belief system changes. They are people who serve God but do not believe in Him. Our belief system is shaped by the things that occupy our thoughts. If you think on the things of heaven, you think about the goodness of God. Heaven should occupy our daily thoughts to the point where it affects our views, attitude, personality, character and mindset. The Word has the power to change your personality, once you think on the things of God.
The mind of Christ does not focus how much money you could make, what movies to watch or the things of the world but focuses on the things of God (Philippians 2:5). Our minds should be set on the things above and not on the things of the earth. The things of heaven should be what we get excited about and what grips our attention. When we make God our first priority, He will take care us.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8
3) Die (verse 3)
When we became Christians, there was a death sentence placed over our lives. Those who are alive in Christ, must die to sin. We need to carry out the death sentence on our old nature which is sin (Galatians 2:20, 5:24, 6:14). We have to die to the things of the world. We must crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. The new nature blesses our enemies and does not curse them. The old nature does not understand the things of God because it is an enemy of God. God wants to bring us to a place where we hear His voice everyday and where we are receiving from heaven.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:1-4
