Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:1-2
Ok, I need to start off by breaking a false teaching that I believed for many years. Growing up in the church I came to believe that I could never understand God’s ways. Many taught that bad things happen and God gives us these bad things to teach us a lesson…AND that we can never understand his ways because they are higher than ours. Many of the people that would explain this would use Isaiah 55:8-9 to justify themselves and their reasoning. So, I learned that to be a good Christian I had to trust him with “blind” faith and get beat up-a lot.
This is 100% NOT true! I could spend pages teaching on this, but will shorten it up and share a revelation from the Lord. The truth is that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours. However, we can come to understand His ways, and through faith, walk in victory, peace, and joy overcoming all obstacles and hardships that come against us. Sometimes we get beat up because God’s glory gets revealed in an impossible situation, but more often we get beat down because of our own ignorance and lack of knowledge.
For example, I was reading Colossians one night and could not fathom the greatness of this word in front of me. I am raised with Christ and sitting with him on the throne in heaven. WHAT?!!! How amazing to understand this truth that Paul is revealing. I asked God to help me see this, understand it, know it- so I can have my heart and mind on those heavenly things. I awoke the next morning meditating on the same scripture and spending time in prayer about it. A bit later my son came over to me and asked to go surfing. I was tired and there was no swell in the water, but I reluctantly took him. When we pulled up to the ocean I did not have the desire to get wet. Now, my son was super excited though because he was still new to the sport and just learning. I suggested that he paddle out at a place where I could see from the cliff and guide him. He agreed and suited up!
Just before he headed out I walked him through the proper procedures. I showed him where to paddle out, how to use the current along the cliff to get to the proper spot at the peak, and what to avoid. He said he understood and ventured forward as I climbed the cliff to watch and coach him. Well, he didn’t follow my instruction. Instead of using the current alongside the cliff and avoid the breaking white wash, he paddled directly into it. He would paddle, paddle, paddle and then a wave would break on him, knocking him backwards. He would regain himself and repeat this over and over. From my spot on the cliff, I could see EVERYTHING. I saw when each wave would be coming, I could tell how he could avoid it by going around the direction I showed him. In fact, I could see way off into the kelp bed and knew exactly what was coming and from what direction. I called to him, I yelled, I whistled, I jumped up and down, I pointed, I waved my arms. But none of it worked.
That’s when I heard the Spirit speak, “Now do you understand?”
I stopped and took it all in. What a powerful lesson the Lord was teaching me. He was disciplining me through His word and now through experience.
I had the perspective, my son did not. He was not utilizing what I had given him, nor my coaching from the cliff. His thought was focused on the wave, beating him up, over and over. Guess what? He eventually gave up, tired and exhausted, and did not surf one wave. That is how we can live, focused on earthly things that destroy us. But Christ has perspective from the throne, and Jesus can see what is coming. We can listen and learn from His ways, taking his guidance to live an abundant life. He has given us His Spirit, joining us with Him, in order to hear the corrections, the guidance, the tips, and pitfalls to avoid. His thoughts and ways are higher, but he has invited us to know them by knowing him. Are you willing to set your heart and mind on things above? Trust him and he will show you.