Colossians 2:16-3:11

Be Still: Holy Spirit, guide us into truth as we read your Word. Renew our minds and shape our lives according to your will. Amen

Read: Colossians 2:16-3:11

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (v2) 

Encounter: Paul warns believers not to let others judge them according to religious rules or outward practices. These things may appear spiritual, but they are only shadows pointing to Christ. True life is found not in human regulations but in relationship with him.

Paul then shifts the focus upward. Because we have been raised with Christ, our lives now belong to a new reality. Our true life is hidden with Christ in God. This means our identity is no longer defined by past failures, present pressures, or worldly standards.

Yet this new identity requires a response. Paul calls us to put to death whatever belongs to our old way of life: anger, impurity, deceit and selfishness. These attitudes belong to the person we once were. In Christ we have put off the old self and put on the new, being renewed in the image of our Creator.

The gospel does not simply change what we believe; it changes who we are becoming.

Apply: This passage challenges us to examine where our attention is fixed. What we set our minds on shapes the direction of our lives. If our thoughts are consumed by temporary concerns, our spiritual vision becomes small.

Today we are invited to lift our focus. Setting our minds on things above means remembering who we are in Christ and allowing that identity to shape our choices. Real change happens as we daily put aside the old patterns and step into the new life God has given us.

Devote: Lord, lift my eyes to things above and renew my heart in Christ. Help me leave behind the old ways and walk in the new life you have given me. Shape me into your likeness day by day.