Col 3:1-3; Set your Eyes on what is above

Being in college you are surrounded with many worldly influences that make it hard to focus on what is above. We tend to get sucked into our grades and studies and that causes us to forget to read our bible or to not make time to go to Wednesday night service. We believe lies that if we don't get involved in organizations that we won't get into graduate school or receive the Job we wanted. We believe that if you aren't constantly surrounded by people that you don't have friends and can't be happy. These are all worldly lies that college throws at us. We worry about these aspects of life more than we worry about pleasing God and thats what it looks like to set your mind on the Earth and not on what is above.

In Col 3;1-3, it says "If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the Earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." This verse reminds us that when Christ rose from the dead he also rose our bodies out of sin and death so that we could live a life like His. If you let your mind be focused on earthy things like all those mentioned earlier you miss out on what is happening above.

Many times through out this year the Lord has been showing me things that he wanted me to do but instead I was consumed with my studies that I barley noticed or didn't care to do what I saw him calling me to do. An example of this, is that one day the Lord allowed me and a friend to go prayer walking throughout campus. During this time we met two girls from China. Being honest, I did not follow up with these girls as much as I should have after that day and the Lord opened my eyes to this. At least once a week I would encounter these girls at the same time that we had first encountered them while eating lunch. I would feel the holy spirit telling me "thats the two girls you met, go speak to them", and my flesh would say "No." This was because the world was telling me that "they don't remember you so why leave your friends and studies to talk to them", and I chose to listen to the world instead of the Holy spirit. This continued for months, I finally was obedient and went and tried to connect with these girls again which went great. I asked them to come to a gathering at a friends house where I knew many Christians would be so that they could see community. They were super excited to come but the weather was not the best the day of and they were not able to make it. This was the Lord placing these girls for me to try and reach again even after the time I was obedient and once again I failed to do that because of my mind being set on the world and not on what is above.

I encourage everyone to not make my mistake, to listen to the holy spirit and act on it. Yes it is hard, but it will be worth it. We are called to live a life like Christ and Christ would not let his school work get in the way of saving two people's souls. I also encourage you that if you are like me and you are not obeying the Lord when it comes to something like this to ask for forgiveness and remember that God covers you and he knows your heart and how hard it is to put the world behind us. Even though we mess up and disobey the Lord continues to use us we just have to allow him to and be obedient to him. To do this we must set our minds on what is above and push everything on earth behind that.

Prayer of the week: Pray that the Lord would help you to focus on what is above and not on what is of Earth. Pray he would open your eyes to what you are disobeying and that you could give that over to him. Ask him to remove anything in your life that stands in the way of following his call on your life whether that be pride, a relationship, friendships, school, or anything along that line. Also, pray for the times you know you have disobeyed ask for forgiveness and ask the Lord not to give up on you (even though he never does) and to give you another chance at obeying that.