My dear friend, setting our minds on heavenly things begins with being born-again, then reading and studying God’s Word. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts acting upon God’s Word which will allow us to set our minds on things above. We cannot do this in our own strength, but God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit when we believed on Christ (Ephesians 1:13), and with the Spirit’s help, we can shut out the cares and appetites of the world, which appeal to our old nature,  and thus we can focus on eternal things. Remember that through the washing of the Word (the Bible) and the Holy Spirit, we are conformed to the very image of Christ Jesus (see Romans 12:1-2; John 3:3-6 and Titus 3:5).

But now, let’s take a look at the verse you have suggested in your question. Colossians 3:1-3 says: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” In verse 1, I believe that the “if” can more accurately be translated as “since” you were raised. Paul is not doubting whether his readers are believers, but what he is getting at is that “since” his readers truly are believers, then they have new life and should consider themselves to have died with Christ, been buried with Him, and raised again to new life. Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Again, in Colossians 2:12 we read that upon being saved, we were, “…buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” But what does this all mean for you and for me? If one has trusted in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior, then that person has new life in Christ, and thus the call in Colossians 3:2-3 is that they and we should live in a manner that demonstrates that new life in Christ. Believers are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), so then Christians are expected to live like Christians, and focus their attention and energies on heavenly things and not on worldly pursuits and concerns. The Holy Spirit gives us the desire and the power for this. William MacDonald in his commentary on this verse says: “…The baptized life means that the Christian is seeking heaven and is thinking heaven. His feet are upon the earth, but his head is with the stars. He is living like a citizen of heaven here on earth.”

So, my dear reader, what occupies your mind? Are you overly worried about all the troubles in our present fallen world, or do you yet have a taste for worldly pleasures? If you are a true believer, then you have been born-again, and now the Holy Spirit desires to help you to grow in Christ. But you do have the responsibility to be prayerfully reading God’s Word. Through the Word, the power and work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life will bring about this hunger for heavenly things and the energy to pursue them. By the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we will find our appetite for “things above” to grow and grow as we read and study God’s Word. We are given a new nature when we are saved, and this nature desires and loves the things of God, so we want to feed that new nature with the Word of God. A believer, due to the old nature, may decide to feed the flesh by things of the world such as ungodly movies and books, or other pursuits and activities which appeal only to the old man. But feeding the old nature by pursuing earthly desires will only result in slowing our spiritual growth in Christ. Praise God that the Spirit is there to help us to desire and choose spiritual food, so that our taste and appetite for the Word grows. God’s Word is not only nourishing to our souls, but the more we read and study the Word, the more we want…His Word becomes a delight. If you find yourself to be too focused on the things of this life, try spending more time in the Word and in prayer, and I believe you’ll see your focus incline upwards “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night,” (Psalms 1:2).  (SF)  (724.1)