Set Your Heart on Jesus Christ

If there’s one thing that everyone has, it’s an opinion, and in today’s environment, they give it as if their point of view is golden. Everyone thinks they’re right and that everyone else is wrong, and this ain’t nothing new. Even within the Christian faith, there are tons of religions and all of them believe theirs is more superior than the others. All believe they’ve got dibs on the right road to heaven, and everyone else is doomed to go to hell. If you’re observing all of this in a world that seems to have gone mad, you might think it’s just one big mess that no one can make sense of any of it.

It’s true that human beings have abused the rights, privileges, and blessings that God has so freely given. We’ve turned things around and twisted them to such distortion that it’s challenging to tell up from down. You might be tempted to think that your only alternative is to fade to the background, to think the truth cannot be known, and to remain unattached and isolated from any attempt to know it. This is not God’s plan for your life. 2Timothy 1:7(KJV) tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” As God’s children, we don’t shrink back and behave as if our Creator has made us fearful slaves. No! Romans 8:15(NLT) declares “Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.””

Everything in the world, including many religions, want us to place our attention on a person or a practice, but God has called us to keep our eyes focused on Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, when everything is said and done, each of us will stand before God and be held responsible for the quality of relationship we’ve had, or failed to have, with Him. It’s not about any other thing than that. Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the bottom line, and each of us must come before the seat of judgment to give an account of the extent to which we’ve honored God through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ said in John 15:5(NLT), “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” When you and I try to do things on our own, we will not get very far, and our accomplishments will be far less meaningful. Heavenly Father wants us to know that life isn’t about what we can achieve on our own. It’s about what we can achieve through Jesus Christ. The earth experience isn’t given to us to squander through cheap and temporary pleasures. It’s an opportunity that God has given us to live life the way He created life to be lived. This kind of life is the one Jesus Christ referred to in John 10:10 when he said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Society wants us to believe it has it right, that its standards and pleasures will give us the kind of life we crave in our souls, but the world did not give life and the world cannot define any aspect of what it means to live it fully.

The unbelieving and sinful world, as chaotic and confused as it is, also opens our eyes to the choice that is ever before us. It is the choice to live a life of love through Jesus Christ, or to deny him. The earth experience doesn’t create a space for spiritual ambiguity. Many have falsely believed it does, but Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:24(NLT), “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” God has given us the earth experience to choose who we are going to be. We were created to be His children, made into the image of Christ, but He will not force individuals to make this choice. We each get to choose.

Colossians 3:1(NLT) says, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand.” Our call is to walk closely with God and to do this our hearts must be set on the Lord Jesus Christ. God raised us to new life when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and now we must seek those things that are above. This means we are to live a life of love by following the example of Christ through hope and faith.

We must be very careful, particularly in the times we’re now living in, that we are not roped in by those who lead by fear, and/or are power hungry for themselves. Jesus Christ will keep all those who want to be kept. He will give truth to all those who earnestly seek it. The Spirit of Christ lives within our body temples, and Jesus Christ said in John 16:13 that he, the Holy Spirit, will guide us into ALL truth. He’s the One who guides, and our number one priority in life should be to follow wherever the Spirit leads and to believe and trust God’s truth. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Set Your Heart on Jesus Christ” written for Christian Encouragement and Inspiration© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.