As of April 2024, studies show that on average people spend 2.5 hours per day scrolling on social media. (1) Even if you are not a social media user, there’s no doubt that wherever you look, things are trying to get your attention. At the time of writing this, we are just a few days away from the 2024 Presidential election, and I’m sure we have seen our fair share of political ads or received texts informing us of who to vote for!

My point is that it’s not difficult to find something to focus our attention on. Whether it be things that can suck us away for hours at a time, such as social media, movies, tv shows or video games, or perhaps even work or our hobbies that we have, we have no issues finding things to occupy our minds or our free time. This begs the question, does the Bible say anything about what we should be spending our time focusing on?

In the first four verses of Colossians 3, Paul gives those in Christ a fantastic reminder.

“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. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” – Colossians 3:1-4

What do you spend your time focusing on?

Take a moment and evaluate what has occupied your mind for the last 24 hours. Was it on things with eternal value? How often do we spend our time focusing on things that lack eternal significance? Paul’s exhortation to “seek the things that are above” is not what will necessarily drive us to abandon all earthly possessions and detach from the world, but it is one that will detach our value from the world because we know that our lives have a greater person than those who are apart from Christ. The truth is that because of Christ, you are no longer who you once were. Because of the cross of Christ, you are “God’s chosen ones,” and because of this everything we do should be done in the “name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

One of the main reasons that Paul was writing to the church in Colossae at this time was to dispute different wrong teachings and doctrines that were being spread about Christ. The Colossian church had somewhat fallen into a heresy known as Gnosticism. Gnosticism was the belief that all matter and material things were evil. While we may not say this out loud, we can begin to fall into this same trap.

We believe that in order to live proper lives for God, we must completely detach ourselves from all things, and we may even use a passage such as this to support this claim. While the difference between Christians and non-Christians should certainly be abstaining from certain practices or activities, that is not all there is to it. The difference between Christians and non-Christians is not that we exist on a different plane than them, but that the purpose behind our existence lies at the right hand of God, where Christ is ruling and reigning. Because of this, the things of this world, and the flesh no longer have any place in our lives.

When we set our eyes above, things like traffic delays, stains on our shirts, or a frustrating coworker matter less and less because our purpose is in something else, it is in something that does not rust or tarnish, but in the everlasting God who cares for us.

The beauty of the gospel is that our faith is not merely a theoretical faith, nor is it a belief that amounts to little or no actual life change, but it is a life-altering, reality-shifting faith in the one who causes peace to dwell in the hearts of those who love Him.

Let us be encouraged by Paul’s closing words in this chapter, knowing that there is more to this world than what’s in front of us, and because of what Jesus has done, we can “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) When the peace of Christ rules our hearts, our hopes and expectations are now no longer set on things that will disappoint or let us down, but on the One who never fails.

How can you set your mind on Christ and seek the things that are above today? Perhaps it is simply reading your Bible before you go to bed tonight to prepare for the next day or taking a break from social media because too much of your time is spent thinking about what you see there. Whatever it is, we can rest easy knowing that a life lived with Christ may result in hardships or struggles, but ultimately it is the only source of true and meaningful peace.

(1) SOAX. (2024, September 5). What's the average time spent on social media each day? SOAX. https://soax.com/research/time-spent-on-social-media