-Therefore... Always we must consider, what is it there for, this therefore? These believers in Colossae were hearing all these commands which were supposed to help them be more successful in spiritual endeavors, perhaps even for following Christ and living more fully into what God wanted, but these commands were ultimately going to be of no value, no value against the lusts and evil desires of the flesh. Which begs the question, what then is of value against the undying propensity of my flesh to want what it does not or cannot have, to want what it wants when it wants it and to do its level best to avoid what it does not want (even when that is something necessary or good).
-This battle against my flesh begins with the resurrection - my resurrection. Paul just mentioned this 11 verses prior (Colossians 2.13), an event which for me has not actually taken place (yet) in a physical sense, but when I connected with Christ by putting my trust in Him for eternal life, I did at that time become entirely associated with both His death and resurrection. And so in this case it is not so much about what I have left behind, it is about where I am headed. Yes, here (as is also true in matters of real estate) it is all about location, location, location. As a bona-fide born-again follower of Christ I have been raised with Christ, I am located in Him, IN Christ. In other words, my life is now located in Him WHERE HE IS, in heaven. Thus we come to the life-changing principle Paul is unpacking for us in this passage: if you want to gain victory over unhealthy or evil desires, the best way to do so is to replace them with a desire for and a focus on something else, something better, something loftier, on the things of heaven. Lesser base desires will always triumph over and trump higher ones while those are under-developed and uncultivated. All men seek happiness (Pascal), but neither riches nor huge tracts of land nor baubles and trinkets and the like which thieves steal and moths and rust destroy, neither earthly status nor worldly accomplishments, not the pursuit of exotic locales nor gourmet delicacies nor various forms of fleeting physical pleasure and exhiliration - all these things which men seek, NONE can satisfy. These and the like always fail to fill the infinite abyss, and do nothing to develop a taste for the heavenly. No, I must begin by seeking Jesus, and on finding Him, I must continue to strive to see and experience and acquire more of Him and the things of heaven where He is, devoting myself to this pursuit above all others. We develop desire for the heavenly by seeking after it, an active exercise of the will, exerting ourselves to find and obtain that which is out of this world. This in fact is the quintessential mandate of the Kingdom of Heaven - Matthew 6.33, 13.45, Luke 15.8, Matthew 7.7. AND, it is a mandate tied to a promise! SEEK, and you WILL find...
-Let us not miss this mention of precisely where Christ happens to be seated - at the right hand of God the Father. This is always the position of power and authority, which in the case of the sovereign omnipotent King of the universe is yet another assertion by Paul of the supremacy of Christ over and above any and all other things. fill in the blank - He is able (to do _____), He is higher (than _____), He is better (than _____). He is worth (of _____).
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