No Wasted Effort

Colossians 3:1-2 "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth."

This happened some years ago, but I still remember the hard learned lesson.  I was playing a pick-up flag football game  with some buddies, and I was going out for a long pass.  I was wide open when the pass was thrown, but it was heaved past me by a step or two.  Not thinking, and caught up in a moment of competition, I dove hoping to make a great catch.  You guessed it, I missed the ball by inches.  The guy who was covering me caught up and with a big smile hollered, great try, but wasted effort.  I got up and we both laughed, and I knew of course that he was right.  My near spectacular catch left me sore the next couple of days, but my scraped arms and legs took not days but weeks to heal.  I subjected myself to this pain for a missed pass in a meaningless pick-up flag football game.  My hard learned lesson was clear, don't waste energy, effort, or your body on unimportant things.  We all expend a good deal of effort and energy every single day.  I wonder how much of it is wasted effort, spent on things that ought not be top priority in our lives.  The above verses set forth a good challenge on how to spend our energy.  First we are exhorted to seek those things which are in heaven, where the Lord is.  The word "seek" is a strong word, giving the idea of expending energy and effort, literally meaning "strive to find".  We are told to give priority and our best efforts to strive after the things of God.  The next challenge of the verses, is to set our minds on the things above, not on the things on earth.  To "set your minds", is again another strong phrase having to do with our affections.  We are to set our affections toward the heavenly and eternal things, not the earthly and temporal things.  Today you will spend yourself and your energies on something, don't let this day be a day of wasted effort.  Spend your effort today on the things of Christ, if you do I promise it will not be a day of wasted effort.