Editor’s Note: I just finished a great weekend with the church that meets on Bright Rd., in Findlay, Ohio. The final lesson in the series was based on Colossians 3:1-4. It’s called Living in the Kingdom. This week, I want us to reflect on these four verses and what they mean.
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What are you aiming for right now? Not what you say you’re aiming for, but what your life actually shows. Paul says in Colossians 3:1,
“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
This isn’t a suggestion. It’s the call of every Christian who has been raised with Jesus. If you’re in Christ, this is your reality:
You’ve been rescued.
You’ve been raised.
You’ve been given a new life.
And now, you’re called to seek what’s above, i.e., to point your life toward Christ and live like His Kingdom is everything.
You’ve Been Raised. So Live Like It.
Let’s connect this to what Paul just said in Colossians 2:12-13:
“You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God… He made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.” (CSB)
That’s past tense. If you’ve been baptized into Christ, you’ve already been raised with Him.
So now what?
Paul says: Seek.
What Does It Mean to “Seek the Things Above”?
The word “seek” means to aim at something with urgency and focus. It’s written in the present imperative, which means:
Keep seeking. Don’t stop. Don’t coast. Don’t get distracted. This isn’t just about wanting to go to heaven someday. This is about living under the authority of the King right now.
Paul says,
“…seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
That’s Kingdom language.
“Seated” means enthroned, ruling, and victorious.
“At the right hand of God” means power, authority, and sovereignty.
This is not about vague spiritual feelings. It’s about focus. Loyalty. Submission. Passion.
When Jesus is King, you stop making excuses. You stop dragging your feet. You stop waiting for things to be easier.
You seek the things above because that’s where He is.
When You Lose Focus
The danger is this: when we stop looking up, we start looking around.
At ourselves.
At each other.
At the past.
At the culture.
And when that happens:
Passion fades.
Evangelism dies.
Worship becomes mechanical.
Service feels optional.
And the Kingdom stops being everything … and becomes just another thing.
An Example from Real Life
This past July, during historic flooding in the Texas Hill Country, 165 people were stranded at Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp. The water rose over 26 feet in 45 minutes.
Into the chaos stepped a man named Scott Ruskan, a first-time Coast Guard rescue swimmer. This was literally his first mission. He’d just been trained and assigned. But he didn’t hesitate. He dropped from a helicopter into the flood.
“I kind of discovered I was the only person there as far as first responders go,” he said. “About 200 kids, mostly. All scared, terrified, cold, having probably the worst day of their life. And I just needed to triage them, get them to a higher level of care, and get ’em off the flood zone.” He didn’t claim to be a hero. He simply said, “It was time to serve. I had to go.”
That’s what Colossians 3 is calling us to. When you’ve been raised, you don’t wait. You move.
Are You Living Like You’ve Been Raised?
If Jesus really is King…
If His Kingdom really is everything…
Are you living like it?
Is your heart set where Christ is, or are you just surviving?
Are you seeking the lost and serving the body, or are you coasting while others carry the weight?
Are you more urgent about the next news cycle than the mission of the Kingdom?
If you’ve been raised with Christ…
Seek what’s above.
Keep seeking. Don’t stop. Don’t look back. Don’t settle. Your King is on the throne. So live like it.
