If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

According to the Apostle Paul in our verse for today, Christians have been “raised with Christ.” This refers to their spiritual resurrection from the deadness of sin. And Paul says that, given this spiritual resurrection, we should “seek the things that are above” and we should “set our minds on the things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.”

What does it mean to seek the things that are above? As Jesus put it, we should “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” (Matthew 6:33). That’s why Paul says later in the chapter that we should put on all the qualities that come from above—qualities like compassion, kindness, humility, and meekness (Colossians 3:12-17). We seek the things that are above when we seek everything we need from the Lord for our journey here on earth.

What does it mean to set our minds on things that are above? We should not merely seek the Kingdom and its righteousness, but also set our minds on them. There is, in other words, a progression here. We should seek them first. When we find them, set our minds on them. Once we find the heavenly resources from the Lord, we should set our minds on them to fully appropriate them for our journey here on earth.

If we seek the things from above and set our minds on them, then we will not set our minds on the “things that are on the earth,” or, worldly pleasures that quickly fade away. That’s why Paul says later in the chapter that we should “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry,” (Colossians 3:5). The problem, then, is not the earth per se, but the evil things that affect our journey here on earth.

Contrary to the familiar saying, then, the more heavenly minded we are the more earthly good we will be.