Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Col. 3:1–2)
MICHELANGELO, indisputably one of the greatest artists in history, penned this thought around five hundred years ago: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
Nearly fifteen centuries earlier, the apostle Paul instructed believers in Christ that we should aim high. He exhorted us to set our hearts and minds “on things above,” then spelled out the contrast between aiming low and aiming high.
If we are aiming low, we walk as we did before we met Christ. We worry and stress about the things that we’ll leave behind one day. Forgetting that we are just passing through, we live without much thought of eternity. Our desires are selfish and sinful; our relationships suffer. Unfortunately, we achieve the mark because we aim low.
Aiming high, we focus on the reality that we are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved” (Col. 3:12). That focus causes our attitudes, actions, and reactions to reflect Jesus. We are instructed to be compassionate, forgiving, patient, and willing to live in unity. Paul wrapped up his exhortation to aim for the highest goal, writing, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17). That is only possible when our focus is on Him.
Aim to do everything in the name of the Lord, for God’s glory.
Kathern Nemec enjoys digging into God’s Word and loves to encourage others with the truth she finds in it.
