Though I wish it were not so, I have plenty of days where I live for myself. I find myself absorbed with worry about what I will accomplish or fail, who will accept me or reject me, how my actions will commend me or denigrate me. What will be the reactions of my wife, my boss, my children to the decisions I make?


If you are anything like me – and I suspect I am not alone – you too have days like this, marked by hurt, disappointment, fear. You and I need to hear Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:23: “…you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” I can relate to Peter… focusing on the here and now instead of fixing my mind on what Jesus has done and is doing for me.


Paul’s word to the Colossian people and to us challenges us every hour: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (3:2). That’s hard to do when what is ahead looks tempting and alluring, or when what is ahead looks shaky or frightening. But knowing that our lives are “now hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3), we can!