Trusting In God for All Things - The Sermon on the Mount Series

This week’s devotional was written by Dan Wilt and is entitled, In Christ We Set Our Hearts And Minds On Things Above. Dan Wilt is a contributing author at seedbed.com. We hope you will be encouraged.

CONSIDER THIS

One of the most popular ideas in self-help these days is captured in the word “mindset.” The common encouragement from the personal-makeover mavens and motivational speakers of the age—who dominate social media—is that if you change your mindset you can change your life. While some social media influencers may encourage a person to focus on the wrong things, they are not wrong about this—what you set your mind on can change the course of your life.

Jesus and Paul understood that one’s mindset is a powerful thing. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus is helping his listeners change their mindset in verses like Matthew 6:25: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” One could argue that Jesus’s entire ministry was a call to change one’s mindset about God, oneself, and others.

Paul, following the lead of Jesus in Colossians 3:1–2, talked directly about mindset. But Jesus and Paul did not tell us to set our minds on positive thinking, increasing our influence, or business success. Rather, Jesus and Paul instruct us to get our hearts set and our minds set on things above—on the person of Jesus (Heb. 12:2), the love of the Father (1 John 4:16), and life in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

First, in verse one, Paul tells us to get our hearts set—fixed on, locked in–on things above. On Jesus. And what does Jesus have his heart set on? Loving the Father and loving his people. 

We could think of setting our hearts on things above as setting our affections, our desires, our loves, on Jesus. Christ is seated at the right hand of God, so that’s where, and toward whom, our desires should be oriented. We are seated in that same heavenly place with Jesus (Eph. 2:6) and, in that place, we have the heart of Christ (Heb. 8:10).

Paul wants us to be heaven-hearted, meaning our affections and desires should be set on knowing Christ and the eternal goal of life forever in communion with him. That heartset will change how we spend our days, years, or decades.

Second, in verse two, Paul tells us to get our minds set—meaning fixed on, locked in—on things above. On Jesus. So, what is the mind of Jesus set on? “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2b). 

Do you remember the temptation in the wilderness when the devil tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of this world and the tiny thrones of those tiny kingdoms? Jesus was seeing another kingdom ahead and his mind was set on the joy before him.

We could think of setting our minds on things above as setting our thoughts, our attitudes, our intellect, on Jesus. Christ is seated at the right hand of God, so that’s where, and toward who, our thoughts should be oriented. We are seated in that same heavenly place with him (Eph. 2:6) and, in that place, we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).

Paul wants us to be heaven-minded, meaning our thoughts and intentions should be set on thinking the thoughts of Christ and being guided by the Spirit’s wisdom in our decisions. That mindset will change how we spend our days, years, and decades.

What is your heart set on today? Through worship, prayer, and intimate communion with Jesus, your heartset can change for the better.

What is your mind set on today? Through Scripture reading, meditation, and learning in fellowship with Jesus, your mindset can change for the better.

In Philippians 4:8, Paul writes: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Heart and mind, we can meditate on what leads to love and eternal life.

Jesus is in you, giving you his heart and mind every day. United with him, we can become people whose hearts and minds are fixed on things above—loving and serving others from that place.

THE PRAYER 

Lord Jesus, I am in you and you are in me. I set my affections, desires, and loves on you. I set my thoughts, attitudes, and intellect on you. By your Spirit, help me set my heart and mind on things above as I love others in your name. In Christ Jesus, I pray, amen.

THE QUESTIONS

What does it mean to you to have your heart set on things above? Your mind set on things above? What is something you could do today to fix your desires, your thoughts, on Jesus?