Philippians 3:18-21 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
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How much does your mindset matter? There are times when I hear some of those positive thinking gurus out there who tell me that everything changes based on how I think, and I find that annoying. I’m just not that touchy feely. I do not think, for example, that anything about my mindset makes a 15 degree day warm or a rainy day dry. Positive thinking does not get my work done or feed my family. But, with that all said, there are some things about how we think, how we set our minds, that are absolutely crucial.
At the end of Philippians 3, Paul talks about the difference between two groups of people. One group is a group of men that he calls enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. There is another group that are clearly not enemies of God. What is the difference? In large part, the difference is mindset.
The enemies of the cross have a mindset that is focused on this world and this life. Paul says that “their god is their belly.” What could make someone so messed up? The answer is that a mind set on earthly things will always, absolutely always, be a mind that leads a man away from God and toward being an enemy of the cross of Christ.
What is the alternative to the mindset that leads a person to be an enemy of God? It is a focus on eternity. When Paul describes in the final verses what characterizes a servant of Christ, it is all about a heart focused on heaven, on the return of Christ, on what we will one day be. Paul clearly understands that, if we truly set our minds on things above, we will live in this world in a way that honors and serves Christ. If we set our minds on eternity, we will serve God here and now.
So, as you think about all this, ask yourself where your mind is set. Are you someone who thinks and lives only for today? If you do, you are likely in danger of missing what God has for you. God wants you to set your mind on forever. Do not let your life be lived for the temporal things that this world has to offer. Focus on forever, and you will find that the things that we think we can not live without are actually not all that important. What we truly can not live without, eternally live without, is the blood of Jesus Christ and the glory of his majesty. If we want life, we will do what pleases Jesus. If we want to please Jesus, we will order our lives around forever.
Pastor Travis Peterson 