I received a package over a year ago that had printed on the
carton on all four sides, “This end up.” Now, that really caught my attention
from a physical as well as a spiritual point of view. When I first read that on
the box I chuckled with sarcasm even though I received it in its proper
position. I was totally “confident” that there was an all-out conscious effort to
keep this box, shipped ground, in the right position at all times during the
shipping and handling processes?
As my skepticism subsided a spiritual perspective leaped out at
me; this end up was the proper orientation of the heart and
mind in serving Jesus, remaining vertical! A horizontal attitude could be damaging! Any traces
of skepticism transformed into a smile. I never struggle to find some spiritual
truth in physical realities, but when it jumps out at me, almost surprisingly
so, I take note of it just as I do with a portion of Scripture blinking at me
like a neon sign. My experiences have been during these “jump out at you” times an indication that the Holy Spirit was directing my attention toward something. If I am out
and about during one of these “epiphanies,” I will make a notation on my
smartphone. I have a great memory; it is my recall that troubles me...
When I get home I transfer any notes to a subject folder on my
computer until I feel led to do something with it. I may add comments here and there
over a period of time until prompted by the Holy Spirit to release them to M-G.
There is so much to write about between texts of Scripture and topics; I am
never at a loss for something to write about. The challenge for me comes from time and
discipline, often the latter, not to mention the resistance stemming from the
triad of troublers of all believers: the adversary, the world system, and the flesh.
I have in the past spoken of Solomon’s description of life
“under the sun” in Ecclesiastes (the phrase occurs 29 times there). If you look
at this book from the point of view of a man living life apart from God, it
makes incredible sense. Imagine a man or woman living life without eternity in
view; a life lived apart from God. It is a worldview of living on the horizontal
plane of worldly ideologies, philosophies, and human systems conflicting with
the teachings of Scripture (Col 2:8, 22, 23). It is characterized as temporal
and fraught with vanity, emptiness, and futility (Eccl 1:2-3).
Life above the sun is quite the contrary; it is eternal,
praiseworthy, full of blessings, and purposeful – the right end up! This is the point of view of
knowing and doing the will of God. Christianity is inclusive of knowledge and
action; these things of learning and living go hand in hand or not at all. A faithful life is a fruitful one. The
meaningful life or living above the sun, figuratively speaking, is a life
lived in a vertical orientation, not fascinated by or fastened to the horizontal
plane. All that is in the world under the sun is the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn 2:16). Three characteristics of
such a life are (1) “the love of the Father is not in him,” (1 Jn 2:15), (2)
“not of the Father,” (1 Jn 2:16), and (3) “passing away,” (1 Jn 2:17).
We all live life under the sun, obviously, but there is a worldview of life
above the sun (eternity is in view in accordance with the will of God) to be lived while
living under the sun (this side of eternity). Its counterpart in the NT is
being in the world but not of the world. It
is essentially a life of this end up! Admittedly, this phrase
sounds a bit awkward, but I want to stick to the print on the box! Recall it
was my epiphanic moment! During the “shipping and handling” of living for the
Lord there is often the ever-struggle of maintaining the right orientation
of this end up (the intellect, the emotions, and the will in
conformity to the Word of God). Every single time we take our eyes off of God
we immediately get spiritually disoriented, and we wind up in a place where we don't belong?
Ah, but though a righteous person may fall seven times, he or
she manages, through His enablement (Php 4:13), to get back up
to a vertical position, putting the heart and mind – this end up (Prov
24:16)! Even our peace of God is impacted by this end up (Isa
26:3). Prov 3:5-6 is only realized by this end up. So much misery
and heartache are avoided by maintaining the right worldview – this end
up. So much downward thinking and feelings are the direct result of failing
to follow the instructions of God’s Word for this end up (cf.
Josh 1:8, 9).
Paul’s charge to the Colossian believers was to keep on thinking
about things above the sun, to be heavenly-minded,
“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col
3:2).
Naturally, I am interjecting Solomonic thought into Paul’s to
marry the two parallel concepts (cf. Eccl 12:13 with Col 3:17 and Eccl 12:14
with Col 3:24-25). This end up doesn’t mean to be so
heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good; for after all, we are living
under the sun (in the world) as a small minority of sojourners and pilgrims
among a vast majority of those who are earth-bound in their outlook under the
sun. Though small in number, we are expected not to be earthly-minded like
those around us but to keep the orientation of our lives – this end up.
The only people who can keep this end up are
those who have spiritually entered into Jesus’ death and resurrection at
conversion,
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which
are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1; see
also Rom 6:3-4; Gal 2:20; Php 1:21, “the exchanged life”),
The preposition “if” in Col 3:1 can be translated as “since.” Paul is assuming the spiritual condition of the Colossian believers,
as being “raised with Christ,” to be true (a first class conditional
sentence, cf. Col 2:20). Believers have been co-resurrected with Christ (Col
2:12-13; Rom 6:3-11; Eph 2:5-6). The passage in Col 3:1-4 is described by Dr.
Bob Utley as “the theological basis for Christian ethics and lifestyle
[or this end up, added]” (You Can Understand the Bible: Study
Guide Commentary Series).
As a result of being co-resurrected with Christ, we are (or should
be) breathing, eating, drinking, thinking, and living the knowing and doing of
God’s will. This end up life soaks up the
eternal stuff like a sponge and allows the Holy Spirit to use us as salt and
life to the world (Mt 5:13-14). Another way of describing this end up is
“Christ who is our life” (Col 3:4), a life separated from the former deeds of
the old man (Col 3:5-9) and clothed in the new man (Col 3:10-25). This
end up is summarized in verse 17,
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Since we
are raised with Christ, we should be cultivating life
above the sun while under the sun. Keeping this end up involves “seeking” or striving earnestly or constantly pursuing those things which
are above (not of the world) while living under the sun. It is not only
commanded (in the imperative mood) but is a never-ending process in the here and
now (in the present tense, continuous action in Gk).
Seeking is something that requires that we take ownership of
(The voice is active; in other words, the subject is doing the action). Nobody
can do it for us. If we are not energized by Christ, this end up objective takes a downward spiral as a result of
disobedience to the command (Gal 5:16). I’m not going to paint a rosy picture
about this here. This end up business is truly a labor of
love, but there is a constant and continual nasty resistance from the triad of
troublers, but it is so worth it if we keep at it, persevere, and keep pushing
forward (Mt 25:23; Gal 6:9; Heb 12:3) in the strength of the Lord.
Did you catch where the location of “those things above” are in Col 3:1? “Where [the enthroned, added] Christ is!” This end up lifestyle is pointing to the exalted Christ “sitting at the right hand of God,”
a position of honor and majesty and source of blessing to His people; the
sovereignty of God is a vertical worldview (Deut 4:39; 1 Chron 29:11; Psa
29:10; 45:6; 47:2; 93:2: Zech 14:9; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:15; Rev 19:6; Rev
4:11). This end up living submits to the authority of God
Almighty, and the flat-thinkers take note. A genuine lifestyle that
claims the Bible to be the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith
and practice metaphorically sticks out like a sore thumb, or better, it
sticks up, pointing to the One above and declaring, “This is where my
heart and mind are – this end up!”
Seeking is more than just finding and obtaining (Mt 6:33; 13:45), it emphasizes the object being sought – the exalted Christ, the Supplier and Bestower of meeting all our needs, spiritual and physical in nature (2 Cor 9:10; Php 4:19). He is the Source of all the priceless spiritual treasures to live a quality this end up life. “Those things above” are the spiritual realities of Christ-likeness (cf. Col 3:12-17), the antithesis of the old man or sinful nature.
This end up life is heavenly-minded but also of earthly good (being a blessing for God to others on this side of eternity, being useful and obedient to the Lord in the here and now). The essential idea of this end up thing is that our heart’s desire is pursuing a walk of life that is worthy of our heavenly position; people seeing Christ in us the hope of glory!
The redemptive work of propitiation was finished long ago at Calvary, but the
reigning work is ongoing until He puts His enemies under His footstool (Psa
110:1; Mk 12:36). Until then we are to be rapture-ready (1 Jn 3:2-3; 2:28) with
a life not characterized as upside down but this end up –
“looking unto Jesus” (Heb 12:2, 3) because He is coming (Jn 14:3; 1 Cor 15:52; 1 Thes 4:16, 17)! <><
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