How To Keep From Suffocating In A Material World!

Colossians 3:1 &2 “If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

As we enter the Christmas shopping season and are bombarded with advertisements to buy now! It can be easy to get caught up in the worlds marketing system. Purchasing items we want has never been easier than it is now. With our modern day credit card craze which encourages people to buy now and pay later, only to “discover” later comes quicker than they thought it. Master card has placed them under a new “Master” no wonder people are dying emotionally and spiritually! We ought to “Chase” the credit card pushers out of our lives!  We won’t ever be able to keep up with the Jones so quit trying. Why not try to lead them to Christ! With Christ you can give people their heavenly “visas” and then they would have something to really get excited about.  More people get depressed and suicidal this time of year than any other month, why? Because they think life is all about what you can get now and if they don’t get what they want they are miserable. As Christians we have just a” little more” to live for! Amen! Our text is the answer to our problems; First notice who it is for, “If ye then be risen with Christ” That is the position of believers. We are to live a new life in Christ. Second, notice, “seek those things which are above” Your up look will affect your outlook! Look up by remembering where you are headed. Look up when this world has you down! Look up when your joy is gone! Look up and you will look different than the world! Alexander the great walked around looking up because he believed he was sent from the gods. Hence he was coined “the great”. We are sent by God so look up! Looking up at Jesus will keep you in the right frame of mind. Look to him because he is looking at you! What you look at will affect your thinking! Third, notice, “set your affections on things above”. The word affection means to think about, to have a heart for, to desire. We are to place our desires on things that are above. Why, because they have stability, this world does not! Above is how we breathe as Christians, below is how we suffocate our faith! This doesn’t mean you forget those around you but on the contrary you are able to show them heavenly love without getting caught up in their worldly nonsense. We can’t save a man who is suffocating if we can’t breathe either! Our spiritual life is sustained by us living with a snorkel that is breathing heavenly air. One day Jesus will take us out of here and only what we’ve invested for heaven will abide!

Read : Colossians 3