Since, then...

Colossians 3:

 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

When I was growing up, sometimes I heard people say of another person, “He is so heavenly minded he’s no earthly good.”  They were referring to a person who was so into spiritual banter, rules and deeds, their heads were up in the clouds and everything below them was foggy.  Therefore, they didn’t see people.  They only saw how righteous they were trying to be.

These verses above tell us to set our hearts on things above and not on earthly things.  The trouble we get into is when our minds and hearts go in different directions. When we just think about how to live a righteous life, but our hearts are elsewhere, we come under a set of rules without life. And when we just run with our hearts and our emotions, without using wisdom given to us through our minds, we run so free we just might fall off of a cliff.

God has blessed us with minds and hearts, and he tells us to worship him and love him with both.  There’s a good balance here.  When our minds read and comprehend his word, we can pray and let it come to dwell in our hearts, so that we respond with both.

Here’s an example:

We read how that we’re supposed to love our neighbor, so we start giving, volunteering, and doing without so that our neighbors are blessed.  But without wisdom, we might end up neglecting our own families because of our good hearts, not tempered with the common sense of our brains.

Yes, we are to set our hearts and mind on things above, but God has placed us to live and breathe here below.  

Ask Him for wisdom on how to walk out your salvation loving Him and others, with knowledge and truth, loving God with all of your heart.