By Pastor Bob DeKlavon
On several occasions, I have referred to a Bible teacher I sat under during my teenage years.
He had a great way of teaching the Bible and offering poignant thoughts to remember.
One of his favorites and one which I have shared before comes from the following exchange:
When asking how someone is doing—often the response is:
“Fine…under the circumstances.”
To which this teacher would bend down and in an exaggerated voice say:
“Well…what are you doing under there??!”
The Christian, just like everyone else—can get caught up in the circumstances we are facing right now.
Each one of us have the same questions:
Will this isolation ever end?
Will we be able to gather as a church body again?
When will we be able to go out to eat?
Will some kind of cure be found?
We can dwell on these things so much that we get bogged down ‘under the circumstances.’
Granted—these ARE legitimate questions to ask—but the Christian asks with a different viewpoint.
Paul, to the Colossians wrote:
“If {grammatically emphasizing that this is true so better “SINCE”} you have been raised up with Christ,
Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
For the Christian—we need to improve our sight to look from above rather than from below.
What does that mean?
Three thoughts come out from verse 1 alone:
First—Christians have been raised up with Christ-this is a new position
Second—keep seeking the things above—this is a new pursuit
Third—Christ is seated at the right hand of God—this is a new authority
Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth—which means He rules over all.
Since He rules over all—this gives us the incentive to look to Him to see what He is doing.
My circumstances haven’t come about by accident—they have come as a means to get me to ‘look up,’
So rather than get keep your eyes on an earthly plane—keep looking up and see Jesus.
He is the One Who gives us eyes to see what He is doing and a new perspective as to how to view life.
So, when someone asks how you are doing—you can answer like everyone else.
OR—
You can answer something like: “your eyesight is improving every day.”
When they ask what that means: share Jesus—Who is the ultimate sight giver.