“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Colossians 3:2 NKJV
It’s a short verse, and easy to misunderstand. Does it mean ignoring everyday life? Thinking only about heaven? Floating above the problems of this world?
Read in its setting, it means something far more practical. Here’s what Paul meant, and how a mind set on things above changes life right here on earth.
The Verse in Its Setting
Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae, and the verse begins with a reason:
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”
Colossians 3:1–2 NLT
Notice the order. Paul doesn’t say “set your mind on heaven so that God will raise you to new life.” He says that because you have been raised with Christ, set your mind where He is. Our focus follows from what God has already done.
He goes further:
“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3 NLT
A believer’s truest life is now bound up with Christ. Setting our minds on things above simply means living in line with who we already are in Him.
What “Things Above” Means
“Things above” doesn’t mean clouds and harps. It means the realities of heaven, where Christ reigns: His rule, His values, His priorities, and His promises. “Things on the earth,” in this chapter, are the habits of the old life that Paul goes on to name.
So the contrast isn’t between spiritual activities and ordinary ones. It’s between living by Christ’s reign and living by the patterns of the old life.
Heavenly Minds Change Earthly Lives
Right after telling believers to set their minds on things above, Paul gets very practical. In the rest of the chapter he describes two kinds of clothing.
What we put off. Paul’s list includes sexual immorality, impurity, greed, anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, dirty language and lying (Colossians 3:5–9). These belong to the old life.
What we put on.
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
Colossians 3:12–14 NLT
That’s what a heavenly mind looks like: patience in traffic, kindness at work, forgiveness at home. A mind set on Christ shows up in the most earthly places.
Paul ties it all to renewal:
“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
Colossians 3:10 NLT
Why Focus Matters
What we set our minds on shapes how we live. As I wrote in my book, Renewing Your Mind: Living Life Intentionally:
“In the physical world, what you feed and water grows. And so it is with your beliefs and thoughts. What you allow your mind to focus on grows.”
It’s the same call as Romans 12:2: be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (For how that renewal happens, see How to Renew Your Mind Biblically (opens in a new tab).)
How to Set Your Mind on Things Above
- Start the day with Christ. Before the day’s news and demands, turn your thoughts to Him through His Word and prayer.
- Notice where your mind drifts. When worry, resentment or envy take over, name it. (See How to Take Every Thought Captive (opens in a new tab).)
- Ask a heavenly question. In a decision or a conflict, ask: “What would honour Christ here?”
- Put something on. Choose one quality from Colossians 3:12–14 to practise today: patience, kindness, forgiveness.
- Do it all in His name.
“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Colossians 3:17 NLT
From a Verse to a Way of Life
Setting your mind on things above isn’t a single decision. It’s a direction we keep choosing, as the Holy Spirit renews us day by day. At Renewing Your Mind Discipleship Ministry, we teach a simple way to engage God’s Word in those moments, in four parts. We call it The Process.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
