DETERMINED MIND
We must Seek and then Set our minds on spiritual things, not things on the earth. Serving God is a decision. Being a Christian is a deliberate and determined way of living. No one is a Christian or behaves like one by accident.
Colossians 3:1-4 Seek and Set
Verse 1:
How were we “raised with Christ?” (refers back to 2:12)________________________
What do we do to “seek things above”?_____________________________________
Verse 2:
To set your mind on something is to focus on it.
Who is your mind set on?________________________________________________
What is your mind set on?________________________________________________
What is being contrasted?________________________________________________
“Set your mind on” – Greek: phroneo – to exercise the mind, to interest oneself in
Matthew 6:19-21
Where are we to lay up our treasure?________________________________
Circle the word “but”. What two things are being contrasted?
_______________________________________________________________
How does the “location” of our treasure show what our mind is set on?
_______________________________________________________________
Verse 3:
Who died?____________________________________________________________
Where is your life now?__________________________________________________
Galatians 2:20
Who now lives in Me?_____________________________________________
How are we to live our life in the flesh?_______________________________
Verse 4:
Who is our life?________________________________________________________
Isaiah 26:3,8
What does Isaiah say that God will give us if our mind is on Him?_________________
How does trust play a part in our determination to follow Him?__________________
What should be the “desire of our soul”?____________________________________
The thoughts in our mind are what can make us determined to follow Him.
1 Chronicles 29:18
David offers prayer when the people bring their offerings for the building of the Temple.
He prays “keep this (their willingness to offer) forever in the ______________
_____________________________________________________________________
And fix _____________________________________________________________ “.
He wants the people to continue to be determined to serve.
Are we as determined to serve? To give?
Proverbs 16:3
By doing the “works of the Lord, it will do what to our thoughts?____________
Proverbs 12:5
How does God see the thoughts of the righteous?_____________________________
(from Gospel Advocate “light moments” email)
We don’t need to be psychology majors to know behavior begins in the mind. Spiritually speaking, obedience begins in the mind too. This is why Paul taught us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” What we think about, what we meditate on, what we hope in: these are the foremost factors in deciding what kind of fruit our lives will produce.
To bear fruit for God, we must consciously set our minds on
• “the things of God”
Matthew 16:23 Peter did not have his mind set on the things of God
• “the things of the Spirit”
Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the Spirit will have their minds wet on what?________________________________________________ • “the things that are above”
Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth.”
We must be determined to be a disciple of Jesus. He does not want half-hearted, lukewarm followers. Are you determined to follow Him and have you set your mind on Him?