Set Your Mind on Christ Ascended

Church, our sermon text this morning is Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4.

Colossians 3:1–4

That's page 984 in the Pew Bible.

Go ahead and turn there with me.

Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4.

Colossians 3:1–4

As we turn there and before we read, let me pray for us.

Our Father, we do indeed hunger for the day.

When with Christ we will stand in glory.

And Father, we thank you that you've given us your clear and present word in the scriptures to speak to us as we run the race looking forward to that day.

So would you equip us this morning, Father, through your word, by your spirit, that we might set our minds on Christ and live for him looking forward to that great day.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4.

Colossians 3:1–4

Let me read this for us.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

So I wonder if you think people can really change.

Do you remember that great scene at the end of Rocky 4?

You can talk to me about it afterwards.

Rocky's just beaten the Russian, right?

And the great call that he has is people can change.

If you take a walk through the aisles of a bookstore, you might actually get mixed messages about whether or not people can change.

On the one hand, there are lots of books in the self-help section.

Lots about mindfulness and recovery and change and so on.

Beth told me that she saw a whole section of magazines actually devoted to this the last time she was there.

So on the one hand, maybe people can change.

But on the other hand, the sheer number of those books kind of makes you pause, doesn't it?

If people really can change and if someone has actually figured it out, why are there so many books on the topic?

And why do they keep being published?

Does any of it really work?

In chapter 2 of Colossians, right before the text we just read,

the Apostle Paul has been exposing the emptiness of what we might call man-made spirituality,

of religion apart from Christ.

Whether it's rules that promise to make us good and upright,

or whether it's rituals that promise to deliver exciting spiritual experiences,

Paul says apart from Christ, it's all empty.

That's how chapter 2 ends.

Look there with me at verse 23.

He says,

That is,

The gospel of Jesus Christ is something different.

In chapter 3 of Colossians, Paul is going to show us how the new life in Christ really does change us.

Not from the outside in, like the old religious rules and rituals try to,

but from the inside out.

The heartbeat of chapter 3, if you take a step back and look at it,

the heartbeat of chapter 3 is actually found in verses 9 and 10.

And there Paul says,

You have put off the old self with its practices,

and have put on the new self,

which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

For those in Christ, something deep inside has happened.

You've put off your old self.

You've put on the new self.

And the image of God, the very image of your creator is being renewed in you.

Now, verses 5 through 9 talk about putting off the old self in Christ,

and verses 12 through 17 talk about putting on the new self in Christ,

and we're going to get to those passages in the next two weeks.

But before Paul gets to all that,

there's a critical first step.

Before we can put off the old self,

and before we put on the new,

there's a principle or a practice that undergirds all the rest,

like the deep pillars that hold up a bridge.

If you've been over the new Tappan Zee Bridge recently,

you realize how giant those pillars are,

holding up that bridge, crossing that river.

Or like a foundation holding up a building.

There's a practice that precedes and undergirds all of this.

What is it?

The opening verses of chapter 3 tell us.

Verse 1 says,

Seek the things that are above.

And then clarifying what he means,

Paul says in verse 2,

Set your minds on things that are above.

So the practice or the duty that undergirds all the rest of Christian living

and holiness and transformation is this,

that we intentionally and constantly be setting our minds

on things above.

In other words,

if we're going to see any progress in putting off our old nature,

if we're going to see any growth in putting on the new nature of holiness

and Christlikeness,

we have to be deliberately and daily setting our minds on things above.

Now what we're going to do this morning

is we're going to unpack this exhortation

to set our minds on things above.

And we're going to unpack it

and we're going to look at it from three different angles.

First, we're going to look at the object.

What are these things above that we're supposed to be setting our minds on?

And then second, we're going to look at the motivation.

Why should we actually be doing all this in the first place?

Why should we?

Why can we do this?

And last, we're going to look at the practice.

How do we do it?

What are some practical steps that we can take

to be daily and deliberately setting our minds on things above?

So let's begin with the object, with the what.

What are these things above on which we should be setting our minds?

Is Paul saying that we should have our head in the clouds all day?

I mean, what are these things above?

Are we just supposed to be staring at the clouds,

forgetting about all of our troubles,

whistling a tune as we go,

daydreaming about pie in the sky,

by and by,

forgetting about all of our worldly cares?

No, look again at verse one.

If then you have been raised with Christ,

seek the things that are above where Christ is,

seated at the right hand of God.

Whatever else Paul might mean by the things above,

this much is clear,

it's where Christ is.

In other words,

Jesus Christ is the focal point of heaven,

the things above.

In other words,

if we have thoughts of heaven,

if right now we picture the dwelling place of God in our minds,

if we think about the present spiritual dimension of reality

where God dwells in fullness,

that's what the Bible means by heaven,

by the way,

if we're thinking of that,

and if Christ is not there,

and if Christ is not the central reality of that picture,

if Christ is not the all-consuming center of its glory,

and worship,

and joy,

and life,

then we aren't thinking biblically.

In Revelation chapter 5,

Revelation 5 · chapter mention

the apostle John is given a glimpse into heaven,

given a glimpse into this spiritual dimension of reality

where God dwells in fullness,

and what he sees,

and what he hears,

is actually all creation praising Christ.

They're singing,

worthy is the Lamb who was slain

to receive power,

and wealth,

and wisdom,

and honor,

and glory,

and blessing.

To set our minds on things above

means above all,

to set our minds on Christ.

And then Paul adds this detail in verse 1,

did you catch it?

That Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Now that's a reference to Psalm 110,

which is a psalm about the coming Messiah's enthronement

and his reign.

And because Jesus is that long-awaited Messiah,

this expression,

seated at the right hand of God,

is actually one of the most common ways

the writers of the New Testament

talk about Jesus' ascension

and exaltation in heaven

40 days after his resurrection from the dead.

You see,

the same Jesus who became incarnate

in the Virgin Mary,

who lived a perfect life under God's law,

who suffered and was crucified

as the atoning sacrifice for our sins,

who was raised bodily from the dead

on the third day in power,

that same Jesus has ascended in glory

and lives right now,

seated at the right hand of God the Father.

You see, Jesus is not just a historical figure

of long ago,

although he certainly lived in history.

He's living and reigning right now

at the right hand of God,

as real and as present as he was 2,000 years ago.

So as we set our minds on things above,

we're above all setting our minds

on the Lord Jesus ascended

and seated at God's right hand.

This is where we are to fix our minds.

But what's the significance

of Jesus' session,

as it's sometimes called?

That is his being seated

at the right hand of God.

What does it tell us about Jesus

on whom we are to set our minds?

Well, in the Bible,

at first,

Jesus' session at God's right hand,

his being seated at God's right hand,

means that Jesus is ruling

right now from heaven.

To sit at God's right hand

is a royal metaphor.

It means that Jesus is the one

who's in control,

even though the world

seems out of control,

even though so much of the world

is at present in rebellion against God,

even though the church at times

seems to be so beleaguered and weak,

Christ is sitting on the throne

and he will return.

And then on that day,

all of our trials

and all of our hardships

will be seen for what they truly are,

light and momentary afflictions

that have been preparing for us

an eternal weight of glory

beyond compare.

Second,

Jesus' session at God's right hand

means that his work of atonement

is complete.

Hebrews 10, 11, and 12

says that the Old Testament priests

had to stand daily at their service,

offering repeated sacrifices.

But,

when Christ had offered for all time

a single sacrifice for sins,

the writer of Hebrews says

he sat down

at the right hand of God.

He sat down

because the work of atonement

was finished.

It was totally complete.

There was nothing left to be done.

All that was needed

to forgive our sins

and reconcile us to God

had been accomplished

once and for all

at the cross

where he,

the sinless one,

took the place

of the sinful many

and bore all their sins away.

So when you set your mind

on things above,

when you set your mind

on Christ seated

at God's right hand,

you set your mind

on a finished work of atonement.

That all that is needed

for you to be reconciled

to your creator

has been finished.

And third,

Jesus' session

means that we have

a perfect mediator in heaven.

Friends,

you realize

that seated at God's right hand

is Jesus,

our perfect high priest,

who,

as Hebrews 4 says,

sympathizes with all

of our weakness.

Jesus,

in every respect,

has been tempted as we are

yet without sin.

And so we can draw near to God

in confidence.

We can draw near to God

in confidence

that the throne of God

is no longer

a throne of judgment,

but a throne of grace.

And because Jesus

is seated there,

we will receive mercy

and find grace to help

in our time of need.

So there's a beginning.

But you know,

these three short observations,

they just scratch the surface,

don't they,

of the glory of Christ?

How else might you be

setting your mind

on the ascended Lord Jesus?

What else

of the glories

and beauties

and wonders of Jesus

full of mercy,

love,

and power

can we be

setting our minds on today

and throughout this week?

It reminds me of a song

we sing here at Trinity

from time to time.

The second verse

goes like this.

It says,

Could we with ink

the ocean fill

and were the skies

of parchment made,

were every stock

on earth

a quill

and every man

a scribe by trade

to write the love

of God above

would drain the ocean dry,

nor could the scroll

contain the whole

though stretched

from sky to sky.

On and on

we could go

reflecting on Christ,

our crucified,

risen,

and ascended Lord.

But for now,

we have to go

to our next point

because eventually

we have to take

the Lord's Supper

this morning.

So let's keep going.

Our next point,

we move from the what

of setting our minds

on Christ ascended

to the why.

Why on earth

should we be doing that?

Why can we

be spiritually raised

to new life in Him?

The difference

between a person

in Christ,

a genuine Christian believer,

and a person

not in Christ,

someone who has

no saving faith

in Jesus,

is as big

and broad

as the difference

between life

and death,

friends.

Apart from Christ,

we remain

spiritually dead

to God

and captive

to sin

and guilt

and death.

But through faith

in Christ,

we become a new creation.

The old has passed away

and the new has come.

We're alive to God

and free from sin

and guilt

and death.

And what's true

of Christ our Savior

is now true of us.

He has been raised,

therefore we have been

raised with Him

spiritually now

and bodily

in the day to come.

And Paul says,

if you've been raised,

then you can set

your mind on things above.

You're no longer

captive to the old ways

of seeking

and thinking

and setting your mind.

Now that raises

two important points

for us, I think.

The first is this.

Friend,

where do you stand

with Jesus Christ?

You see,

apart from Him

and our own

spiritual effort

and our own

moral performance,

we remain lifeless

to God,

spiritually dead.

Now that's a pretty

stark claim.

I realize that.

It's not an easy one

to come to terms with

at first.

But you see,

that's the very reason

why Jesus died

and rose again.

Christ came in love

to enter into the death

of all those

deserving death

so that in His resurrection

they might come alive

to God.

And the free offer

of the gospel

is that when we admit

that we're spiritually dead

apart from Christ

and when we place

our trust in Him alone

to give us life,

He does just that.

He breathes new life

into our hearts,

He forgives all our sins,

and He reconciles us

to God.

So friends,

where do you stand

with Christ today?

Today,

place your trust in Him

and come and know

what it's like

to have real spiritual life.

The second point is this.

If you have been raised

with Christ,

then you are now able

to set your minds

on things above.

In other words,

your thought life

need not be controlled

or dominated

by your old self.

Those old things

you used to tell yourself

about yourself.

the old ways

you used to describe

and define yourself,

whether they were

self-exalting

or self-debasing,

whether those things

used to make much

of yourself

or whether they used

to make little of yourself,

whether they were thoughts

full of pride

or full of despair.

I'm the best.

I'm the worst.

I'm good enough.

I'm smart enough.

And gosh darn it,

people like me.

Or I'm terrible

and I'm not worthy of love.

The truth is

those things

need no longer be

where you set your mind.

The truth is

you've been raised

with Christ.

There's a new power

of life in you

that has overcome death

and now

you can set your mind

on things above.

You have the power

to do that now,

to have a whole new mindset,

a whole new focus,

to silence

and still

the old voices

and to set your mind

on what's really real

and really true

about you.

So we've been raised

with Christ.

That's why we can set

our minds

on things above,

but why ought we?

Why should we?

Paul answers that question

in verses 3-4.

Look there again.

Why should we set

our minds

on things above?

He says,

For you have died

and your life

is hidden

with Christ and God.

When Christ

who is your life

appears,

then you also

will appear

with him

in glory.

So why should we

set our minds

on things above?

Paul says here,

because Christ

is our life.

Our life

is hidden

with Christ

and God.

Hidden

in the sense

of safe

and secure,

but also hidden

in the sense

of waiting

to be fully

revealed

for what it is.

As verse 4 says,

when Christ returns,

then we will appear

with him

in glory.

Even if our lives

right now

from an earthly

perspective

seem less

than glorious,

maybe you think

your life

feels kind of boring.

Maybe it's even

somewhat embarrassing

to you at times

and to others.

Paul's saying

that's not really

your life.

Your life

is hidden

with Christ

and God

and one day

your real glory,

glory received

from the Son

of God himself

will be displayed

before all creation.

That's who you

really are.

And so we ought

to daily

and deliberately

set our minds

on things above

because we so often

forget

that Christ

is our life.

Our hearts

are so forgetful,

aren't they?

How easily

do our jobs

become our life?

How quickly

does our marital

status

become our life?

How naturally

do our hearts

drift into believing

that our kids

are our life

or our financial

well-being

is our life

or our physical

appearance

or our physical

ability

is our life?

Friends,

when any of these

things become

our life,

that is when they

become the

determiner of our

joy and happiness,

when they become

the driving motivator

of our thoughts

and actions,

then we've allowed

our minds to be set,

as Paul says,

on earthly things.

You see,

when Paul says,

don't set your minds

on things that are

on the earth,

in verse 2,

here,

earthly things

doesn't have to

exclusively mean

overtly sinful things,

like lust or anger

or greed.

Those things certainly

count as earthly things,

but we can also be

setting our minds

on earthly things

when we take something

that's good and right

in its own place

and elevate it

and make it our life.

when you set your mind

on a certain job

or set your mind

on having a spouse,

when you place your hopes

and affections

and joy in that thing,

whatever it is,

then it's become

your life.

And friend,

when a created thing

becomes your life,

we are doomed

for disappointment.

None of those things

can hold the weight

of your life.

your job,

whether it's wonderful

or miserable,

is not your life.

And your marital status,

whether it's one

that you want

or one that you don't want,

it's not your life.

Christ is your life.

And when you set your mind

on things above,

you're remembering

what and who

your life really is.

So that when temptation comes,

the temptation to despair

because work isn't

what you want it to be

or your dating life

isn't what you want it to be,

the temptation to act out

in anger or jealousy,

when temptation comes

on account of those things

that have become

your temporary life,

you can say,

wait, wait, wait.

No, that's not my life.

Christ is my life.

He's the one who loves me

and gave himself for me.

He's the one who sits

at God's right hand

and will return one day

and unveil a glory in me

so weighty and so real

that creation will tremble

with awe at the sight of us.

He's my life.

Not this thing,

not that thing,

not the other thing.

The Lord of the universe,

the one seated

at God's right hand,

the one perfect

in beauty and power

and love,

Christ is our life, friends.

I am his

and he is mine.

Can you say that?

That's why we have to daily

and deliberately

set our minds

on things above

because Christ is your life

and you must not forget.

So then this principle,

this duty of a Christian,

this first call for us

as believers in Christ

is to daily

and deliberately

set our minds

on things above.

If we ask

what we're to set

our minds on,

the answer ultimately

is Christ

ascended and seated

at God's right hand

soon to return in glory.

And if we ask

why we're to set

our minds on him,

it's because

that's our true life

above everything

and anything else.

In conclusion then,

let's end

by asking how.

If setting our minds

on things above

is the critical component

to living this new life

in Christ,

how should we go

about doing it?

And there's a lot

that we could say here

and I want to end

with just three practical helps,

three things

to get us started

to maybe prime the pump

along these directions

and maybe

after the service

downstairs over coffee

or over lunch,

you can talk about

more ways

that you've found

that are helpful to you

to continually

set your mind

on things above,

to set your mind

on Christ.

But three things

as we close.

First,

consider the very word

set your mind.

In our technological age,

we specialize

in easy

and fast,

don't we?

With a simple

tap of a screen

on my phone,

I can find information

from practically

anywhere in the world.

Right?

If I'm bored,

I can entertain myself.

If I'm curious,

I can find an answer.

We have gadgets

and machines

that can do anything

from make our coffee

to make a 3D computer

model of the solar system.

Writer Andy Crouch

calls our time

the easy everywhere age.

So what Paul is telling us

to do here

is very countercultural,

is it not?

He's telling us

to slow down

and set our minds.

The word Paul uses here

combines both

our thinking faculties

and our faculties

of desire.

He's saying,

set your mind,

but mind here in the Bible

isn't just what you think about,

it's what you long for

in love.

Set your heart's desire

on the things above.

Make it your treasure

and your longing.

Make it your daily bread

and your food.

It's as if Paul is saying,

slow down

and think about Christ

and the realities of Christ

long enough

so that your heart

starts to warm at the fire.

When I was a kid,

we used to play

with those little green army men.

Do you remember those?

And one day we found out

that we could take

a magnifying glass

and if we held it

still long enough,

we could actually

melt their faces off.

Oh man,

that was like hours of fun

watching them bubble

and melt away.

Don't read too much

into that.

But here's the thing.

Like a magnifying glass

held out to the sun,

Paul's saying

that you have to hold

the truths of Christ

in your mind

long enough

until the pointed rays

of his love

and beauty

start to melt

your cold heart.

That's what he's saying here.

Set your mind on it.

And that brings me

to the second practical help.

You know,

oftentimes we sit down

to read the Bible

and pray

and it's a very

lifeless experience,

is it not?

Perhaps you've tried it.

You know,

a trusted Christian friend

or mentor

has suggested

that you take

the first moments

of your day

to spend time with God

reading his word

and praying

and that is

wonderful advice.

But after reading

a chapter

and then turning to prayer,

your mind quickly runs off

to your daily tasks,

your upcoming meetings,

the conflict you're having

with a family member,

whatever it is.

In other words,

you try to set your mind

but your mind races off.

And your morning time

of prayer and communion

with God

seems pretty fruitless.

You know,

one person

who had the exact

same experience

was a guy

named George Mueller.

Mueller is famous

actually for starting

orphanages in England

in the 19th century.

His autobiography

is an incredible

story of faith.

And for years,

this great man of God

struggled

in the exact same way

as you or I do.

This is what he writes.

He said,

I often spent

a quarter of an hour

or half an hour

or even an hour

on my knees

before being conscious

to myself

of having derived

any comfort,

encouragement,

or humbling of soul.

And often,

after having suffered

much from wandering

of mind

for the first ten minutes

or a quarter of an hour

or even half an hour,

I only then began

really to pray.

We can relate to that,

can't we?

We kneel to pray

and our mind wanders

fifteen minutes,

thirty minutes,

and then, uh-oh,

time's up

and we're off to work.

So how do we remedy this?

Mueller writes

that after ten years

of frustration

in prayer,

he stuck at it

for ten years,

he had a breakthrough.

He said,

Now,

I saw that the most

important thing

I had to do

in the morning

before God

was to give myself

to the reading

of the Word of God

and to meditation on it.

That thus,

my heart might be

comforted,

encouraged,

warned,

et cetera,

and that thus,

while meditating,

my heart

might be brought

into experiential

communion with the Lord.

I began, therefore,

to meditate

on the New Testament

from the beginning

early in the morning.

You see the change.

Mueller goes on

to say that his aim

in this sort of

just biblical meditation

was not to prepare

to teach

or to prepare

to minister

or to have something

useful to say

when he showed up

at work,

but simply to get

food for his soul.

And then what he found,

when he focused

on meditating

on the New Testament

just to get food

for his soul,

he found that prayer

would come,

that communion

with God

would come.

You see,

instead of just

reading through a chapter

really quickly

and then jumping

into his prayer list,

Mueller slowed

way down

and said,

let me just rest

before God

and sink my mind

into what he's showing

me of himself here.

And that biblical meditation

opened up

a rich walk with God.

Mueller's example

is that we meditate

on the word of God.

And he clarifies

what meditation means.

He says,

it's not the simple

reading of the word

of God

so that it passes

through our minds

just as water

passes through a pipe.

You ever had that experience?

You wake up in the morning,

it's however early

you wake up,

6.30,

7.30,

9.30 if you're in college,

whatever,

you know,

and you're like,

okay,

I gotta do my Bible reading.

You read three chapters

and you can't remember

even the book

that you were reading,

let alone any of the content.

I've had that happen

to me too.

Mueller says,

it's not just the simple

reading of the word of God

so that it passes

through our minds

just as water

runs through a pipe,

but it's considering

what we read

and pondering over it

and applying it

to our hearts.

Biblical meditation,

you see,

is not emptying the mind

like Eastern religions,

but it's filling our minds,

steeping our minds

in the word of God.

Like a good tea,

we let the word of God

steep in the water

of our minds

and our hearts

until the whole pot

is flavored

and ready to drink.

So if we're gonna set

our minds on things above,

practically,

we have to slow down

and think

until our hearts grow warm

and we have to come

to Scripture

as food for our souls.

You know,

better to choose

a short passage

and really soak in it,

meditate on it,

asking God to reveal

the glory of Christ in it

than to simply read quickly

like water passing

through a pipe.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

recommended to young pastors

in training

that in their personal devotions

that we confine ourselves,

he said.

We confine ourselves

to a brief selected text

which possibly may not be changed

for a whole week.

Do you hear Bonhoeffer's advice there?

Take one passage

and meditate on it

for a whole week.

Now perhaps you want

more variety than that.

Fair enough.

But the point remains.

If you have 15 or 20 minutes

in the morning, friends,

rather than read

three chapters quickly

and then try to eke out

some prayer,

read one paragraph

slowly.

Really set your mind

to what's there

and you'll find

it's a very,

very different experience.

Third practice

that I'll mention this morning.

Not only must we slow down

and think

until our hearts grow warm,

not only must we meditate

on Scripture

rather than simply read it,

friends,

we have to engage

in spiritual things together.

The exhortation

of Colossians 3,

1 through 4

is given

not just to individuals

but to the church.

This isn't a solo act.

That's why we gather

every Sunday

to hear God's word preached

and to partake in baptism

in the Lord's Supper.

Together

we hear God's word afresh.

Together

we take the bread

and the cup

and have our minds

and hearts recalibrated

to our living Lord,

to Christ

who is our life.

So do you take

a few minutes

on Saturday evening

before bed perhaps

and pray

that our gatherings

on Sunday

would be full

of God's spirit

and power?

Do you pray

that your heart

would be open

to receive his word

and grace afresh

together with your church family?

Do you pray the same

that the hearts

of your fellow members

would also be open

to God's word

and to God's grace?

I guess what I'm trying

to say here is,

friends,

make the most

of your Sundays.

Take a break

from your regularly

scheduled

busyness

if you can

and devote time

to your church family,

to thinking

and reading

and listening

to things

that will lift

your thoughts

and heart

to Christ ascended.

You know,

I actually see

a lot of this happening

here at Trinity

in our church family

and it's so encouraging.

Invitations to lunch,

hearty conversations

over coffee downstairs,

exchanging books,

trading encouragements

after the service,

praying for one another.

Church family

abound in this

more and more.

Seek to season

your conversations

with the salt

of the gospel.

Come ready

with something

that God has spoken

to you out of the sermon

or this week.

Come ready

to share a concern

of the week ahead.

Sundays are a gift

to enjoy.

Set them apart

for spiritual fellowship

and conversation,

for reading good Christian books

when you get home,

friends,

for slowing down

and setting your mind

on things above.

So then what we see here

in Colossians 3

is that the first

and principle

and undergirding duty

of all Christian growth

and change

of living this new life

in Christ

is to seek the things

that are above

where Christ is,

seated at the right hand

of God.

So friends,

let us set our minds

on Him.

Let us do it

deliberately

and daily,

intentionally,

and constantly

because at the end

of the day,

Christ is our life

and one day

He will return

and we will appear

with Him in glory.

Amen?

Let's pray.

Oh Lord,

we confess

that we need

so much help

in this matter.

God,

our minds

are easily distracted.

Our time

is so easily

gobbled up

by the concerns

of our callings

and our day.

Lord,

we confess

to You

that our hearts

have been so cold

in setting our minds

on things above

and yet,

Father,

this morning

we are grateful

that You are

a gracious God

and that You

continue to reveal

Yourself to us

and open Your arms

to us

and say,

come,

feast Your mind

and heart

on me.

So help us

to do that

when we gather

on Sundays,

when we go forth

this week,

when we open

the Word

in our own

private devotions

daily.

Oh God,

by Your Holy Spirit

would You come

and would You

help us

to set our minds

on things above.

Help us to remember

that Christ

is our life

and in so doing

would we live

this new life

that You've given us.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.