Colossians 3:2
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Several years ago when I worked in construction, after we dug the foundation and set the forms, we poured the footings for the foundation. Pouring cement is always a timely matter. In the beginning of the pour, you have time to work with the cement; however, when the cement begins to set up, your timeframe to work with it is short because once it is set you will not be able to undo what is done.
In the verse above, God talks about setting your affections. I believe setting your affections is very much like pouring cement. If you set your affections early, then you have time to work with them, but once they are set it will be hard to change them.
God also shows where we are to set our affections. He says to set them “on things above, not on things on the earth.” In other words, set your affections early on the things of God and you will find the that affections for the flesh will not easily influence your life. Every Christian should strive to set godly affections early on in many instances so that you have a better chance to live a holy life. Let me show you some times when you should set your affections early.
First, set your affections early in the day. Every day you need to spend time in the Scriptures and walking with God in prayer so that your affections are set for the day. There is nothing like spending time with God that sets your outlook for the day. I have found that having your time with God early in the morning helps to set your affections upon Him throughout the day. Instead of waiting till later in the day, walk with God in the morning so that you can set your affections on godly thoughts. You will have an easier time controlling your thoughts if you set your affections early in the day.
Second, set your affections early in pursuits. For instance, set your affections on God early in a marriage. Don’t wait until you’ve been married for several years to decide to change your affections. Godly affections in a marriage will keep a marriage strong. Likewise, set your affections early in business pursuits. Whenever you start a new pursuit in business, be sure to get your affections on God and not on materialistic things. When you start a new pursuit spiritually, be sure to set your affections early. It would be sad to start a spiritual pursuit and not set your affections on God. Don’t get so wrapped up in doing the actions of the spiritual that you forget to take time to set your affections on the source of your spiritual activities, which is God.
Third, set your affections early in life. This is mainly for the youth. Teenager, don’t wait until you are an adult to set your affections. Develop a godly mindset as a teenager so that the world won’t have its influence in your mind. Set your desires to do God’s will and avoid setting your mind upon the things of the world. If you will set your affections on things above when you are a youth, you will find that your likelihood of serving God the remainder of your life will be much higher.
Finally, if your affections have already been set like hardened cement, there is still hope. The hope is God! God can change the hardened heart that has its affections on the world to a soft and tender heart that God can use. Yes, it will take some time, but you don’t have to live the rest of your life thinking its impossible to have godly affections. Ask God to change your affections. Ask God to remove the worldly affections and transform them into godly ones. Spend time reading and studying the Scriptures and you will find that God will use the them to change your hardened worldly affections into godly ones.