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Verse:If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. —Colossians 3:1
A person might naturally like ice cream, french fries, bananas, or burgers, some of which are more healthful than others.
Similarly, a reader might favor novels, biographies, thrillers, or science fiction. A movie watcher might enjoy westerns, action movies, romantic comedies, or documentaries. Everyone has preferences. But what are we to do with them? The Christian who enjoys horror movies knows they fall outside the will of God.
The same is true for violent movies, occult books, and sexually suggestive television programs. These are real-world issues for masses of people. What is a person to do if they naturally enjoy the things that the Bible does not approve? The apostle Paul answered this when he wrote, “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is” (Colossians 3:1). Followers of Jesus are encouraged to focus their attention on “things above” rather than “things on the earth” (verse 2).
Paul suggests we exercise our God-given freedom of choice to govern what occupies the mind and wins the affections.
When a lifestyle preference is not in harmony with God’s principles, His people are to choose alternatives that are not counter to the will of heaven.
As Paul stated in Romans 8:5, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Natural inclinations are too frequently allowed to determine what constitutes appropriate Christian living. There is much in the world today that is spiritually dangerous but almost universally accepted even among Christians.
Worldly standards are readily adopted by the church, with new generations of believers freely led into practices that hinder Christian growth.
There are times difficult choices must be made that run counter to one’s natural inclination. Those who continue to grow in the grace of God will find Jesus’ strength will increasingly become their own. Their affections are set on things above, not on things on the earth.