SEEKING the Things Above

Colossians 3: 1

“If then you were raised with Christ, SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE ……. ”

Hectic work schedules, a clinging toddler at home, routine household chores coupled with my bad health made it very difficult for me to spend some time with GOD, studying His Word and enjoying His presence in prayer. Days, weeks passed by, though with lot of shame and guilt for not prioritizing my daily routines in order to fit in THE THINGS ABOVE.

Suddenly, one day I was led by the Holy Spirit to the aforesaid scripture which requires us to SEEK the things above.

The word ‘SEEK’ caught my attention and I started giving a practical thought on it.

"Seek" means to pursue, search for, endeavor to obtain.

Keep seeking means to seek after and strive for earnestly, to strive to find something, to devote serious effort to realize one’s desire or objective, to aim at, to try to obtain some state or condition.

SEEK used in this scripture emphasizes something more than just a desire. It’s an actual ACT of striving for to find. It’s pursuing. I questioned myself. How do I search something?

To me SEARCH is to act in all possible manner, exploring all possible places, availing all possible opportunities in order to FIND. It is an act aimed at finding the thing searched for.

Obviously, we search in order to find right? If we don’t want to find, we simply don’t search. The act of Searching inherently carries the aim to find.

Often, things like studying the word of GOD, spending time with HIM in prayer, regularly attending Church services, actively participating in the activities of church, offering tithe and other THINGS ABOVE end up to be just thoughts, Choices, Promises and Desires and nothing more than that. We just desire and never work on it or work towards achieving it. We have to understand what it means to ‘SEEK’ the things above and own the promise GOD made to us in Matthew 7:7 - “Seek, and you shall find”

In the context of Colossians 3:1, SEEK necessitates ‘acting’ and this is something more than just a thought, choice, a promise and a deep/deeper/deepest desire. It is a persistent action in order to find things above, to obtain things above, to own things above, to achieve things above, to obey GOD, to uphold spiritual perspectives and to place GOD and things above, over your worldly concerns.

Quickly recollect all the desires you had/have for GOD which are still pending for action?

We are made of flesh and our natural instinct is to follow flesh. Walking in spirit needs a degree of effort and a persistent practice.    

We often SEEK excuses that debarred us from setting our mind and pursuing things above. Employment, Family, responsibilities, worldly cravings, ailments so on often act as major hindrances in our way to SEEK things above. But the hard fact is that we always have those around us until we leave this world. So when are we going to LIVE for Christ if we are always busy with living for ourselves and our worldly concerns?

A choice, determination coupled with effort will surely enable us to abide by the word of GOD in Colossians 3:1 which says SEEK the things above!

May GOD grant us enough wisdom, passion, patience and perseverance to SEEK THE THINGS ABOVE!