Rooted in a New Reality

Devotional

Day 1: Your New Identity in Christ is a Settled Reality

You have been raised with Christ. This is not a future possibility but a present, spiritual reality. Your old life, defined by sin and your past, has been put to death. In its place, you have been given a completely new identity, united with Christ in His resurrection. This new position changes everything about how you are called to live today. You are no longer defined by who you were, but by who you are in Him.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:1 (ESV)

Reflection: What is one label from your past—a failure, a struggle, or a mistake—that you sometimes allow to define you? How might remembering that you have been "raised with Christ" change the way you see yourself in that specific area this week?

Day 2: Intentionally Pursue the Things of Christ

The call to "seek" is a call to intentional, active pursuit. It is not a passive drift but a deliberate choice to chase after Christ and His kingdom. Our natural tendency is to drift toward what is easy and immediately in front of us, settling for temporary satisfactions. A life that reflects Christ requires a conscious decision to make Him the priority and focus above all else. This purposeful pursuit is what shapes a life of lasting significance and spiritual maturity.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

Reflection: Where have you noticed a drift in your spiritual focus recently, perhaps toward busyness, distraction, or temporary concerns? What is one practical step you can take this week to intentionally reorient your pursuit toward Christ?

Day 3: Rest in the Finished Work and Authority of Christ

Christ is seated at the right hand of God, a position of supreme authority and completed work. His seating signifies that redemption is finished; there is nothing left to add. Because your life is connected to His, you do not need to live in a state of panic or striving. You can live from a place of confidence and rest, knowing that the One who holds you also holds all authority. Your foundation is secure, not because of your stability, but because of His.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
Hebrews 10:12 (ESV)

Reflection: When you feel anxious about a situation that feels out of your control, how can you actively choose to rest in the truth that Christ is seated in authority over it? What does trusting His control look like in this specific circumstance?

Day 4: Set Your Mind on the Eternal, Not the Temporary

The direction of your life follows the focus of your mind. We are urged to consciously set our minds on things above, not on the transient things of earth. This is a deliberate act of locking our thoughts onto what is true, eternal, and of God. When our minds are shaped by the temporary—our failures, cultural opinions, or shifting circumstances—our lives become unstable. Renewing our mind with truth is the pathway to transformation and discerning God's will.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2 (ESV)

Reflection: What is one recurring thought pattern or "earthy" concern that often captures your mental energy? How can you actively replace that thought with the eternal truth of God's Word today?

Day 5: Live Today in Light of Your Eternal Future

Your ultimate hope is not in anything this world can offer, but in the glorious future that awaits you in Christ. One day, you will appear with Him in glory, fully transformed and completely free from sin and struggle. This certain future is meant to redefine your present. Knowing where you are headed empowers you to stop chasing temporary satisfactions and to start living a life rooted in eternity. Christ is not just a part of your life; He is your life.

When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:4 (ESV)

Reflection: Considering that you will one day appear with Christ in glory, what is one "temporary thing" you are currently investing in that seems less important from an eternal perspective? How can you invest more in what lasts?

Sermon Summary

A father’s story about a planned “Disney Dad Day” that ends with a child fixated on a cheap toy becomes the lens for a gospel challenge about pursuing what truly satisfies. The anecdote exposes a spiritual tendency to settle for what is immediate and small instead of pursuing the greater reality already given in Christ. Drawing from Colossians 3:1–4, the argument unfolds as three shifts that mark life rooted in a new reality: pursue what is above (v.1), position the mind above (vv.2–3), and prepare for what is above (v.4). The first shift insists that identity precedes behavior: being raised with Christ is a present, decisive reality that dethrones the old self and reestablishes life in union with Christ. The second shift focuses on mental orientation—where the mind is set determines the direction of life—so believers must intentionally set their thoughts on eternal realities rather than on temporary, distracting things. The third shift lifts the eyes to the future appearance of Christ, reminding that Christ is not an add-on but the believer’s life, and that present living should reflect the coming glory.

Scripture anchors each move: Paul’s call to “seek the things that are above” accompanies the assertion that believers have died to the old life and now have a life hidden with Christ in God. The reality of Christ seated at God’s right hand provides both finished work and reigning authority, freeing confidence from frantic self-effort. Personal testimony of a former life dominated by addiction illustrates how a new identity in Christ changes the trajectory of decisions, not by mere willpower but by living from what Christ has already accomplished. Practical warnings address congregational life: activity can mask inward drift, culture and noise can shape thinking, and temporary satisfactions will never replace union with Christ. The passage closes with a summons to reorient: stop chasing what won’t last, fix the mind on Christ, live today in light of what is coming, and root the whole life in the new reality already secured by Christ’s death and resurrection.

Key Takeaways

1. effort. Living from identity means acting out of what Christ has made true, not out of what the old self still feels.
Set your mind on what matters
The mind governs direction; left unchecked it drifts toward temporary things. A disciplined, Christ-centered mental focus filters cultural noise and replaces rehearsed fears with gospel truth. Renewing thought patterns becomes the decisive battlefield for lasting transformation because thinking determines pursuing.

Trust the finished, reigning work
Christ’s seating at God’s right hand signals completed redemption and present authority. Confidence in that finished work removes the need to scramble for approval, control, or identity through performance. Rooting life in his rule produces steadiness amid change because present standing rests on his victory, not fluctuating feelings.

Live now toward coming glory
Future reality reorients present choices: the promise of appearing with Christ rewrites priorities today. Anticipation of full restoration compels endurance, a refusal to settle, and a reallocation of time and affection to what endures. Living toward that future shapes daily habits into signs of belonging to where life is headed.

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and manuscript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

**Bible Reading:** Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

**Observation questions**

According to verse 1, what two things are true of a believer that serve as the basis for the command to "seek"?
What contrast does Paul draw in verse 2 regarding where a person sets their mind?
What two past-tense realities does Paul state in verse 3 that define a believer's current situation?
What future event does verse 4 point to, and what is the result for the believer?

**Interpretation questions**

What does it mean that Christ is "seated at the right hand of God" and how does that reality provide confidence for daily living, as opposed to a Christ who is still working?
The idea of a life "hidden with Christ in God" suggests our true identity is secure and protected. How might remembering this truth change a person's reaction to failure, criticism, or seasons of spiritual dryness?
Paul says to "set your minds" on things above, which implies an intentional effort. What are some common "things on earth" that so easily capture and dominate our thinking, pulling us away from this command?
If Christ is our life, as stated in verse 4, how should that change the way we view the other components of our life, such as our career, relationships, and hobbies?

**Application questions**

What is an "old identity" or label from your past (e.g., "failure," "addict," "people-pleaser," "not good enough") that you sometimes find yourself still living from, instead of from your new identity of being "raised with Christ"?
Where have you been settling for a "dollar store" version of satisfaction—chasing something immediate and temporary—instead of pursuing the deeper satisfaction found in Christ?
What is one practical way you can "set your mind" on things above this week? This could be a specific time of prayer, memorizing a verse, or choosing to worship instead of worry when a particular anxiety arises.
How would your approach to a current challenge or stressor change if you faced it with the certainty that Christ is already seated in victory and authority over it?
The future promise is that we will appear with Christ in glory. How can this certain hope influence a mundane task, a difficult relationship, or a financial decision you have to make this week?
Is there an area where you treat Christ as an "add-on" to your life rather than your life itself? What would it look like to reorient that area so that He is at the center?

Sermon Quotes

But instead of living in that… we settle. We grab what’s right in front of us. We chase what’s easy. We stop short of what God actually brought us into.