Kingdom Mindset

What does it mean to live every day with a Kingdom Mindset directing our attention to things above, and not to the things of earth? How do we maintain a job, raise children, pay bills, resolve conflicts, and manage life while looking into heaven? My first response is short and simple. One cannot do anything well on Earth if they aren’t focused on Heaven. This means that every thought must be taken captive and viewed from Heaven’s perspective (see 2 Cor. 10:5). Don’t dwell on things that aren’t pleasing to Jesus. Otherwise, our minds will be held hostage by what’s happening around us and eventually, we will be filled with fear, frustration, anxiety, and every poisonous thing we’ve opened our minds to that’s contrary to Christ. Setting our minds on things above doesn’t guarantee that we won’t experience adversity. Rather, it means that we’re able to see over it. It means that we’re living above the circumstances and not under them.
A kingdom mindset is focused on Christ more than anything or anyone else. Every thought is shaped with His presence in mind. Getting even more practical means considering what Jesus thinks about things more than how we think. We do that by simply asking Him. Jesus, what do you think about my children’s behavior? Jesus, how would you handle this problem? Jesus, what do I do about that troublesome person? Jesus, what should I say to my boss? My friend Hal Perkins calls this being discipled by Jesus. We are integrating Him into every activity, conversation, and decision that we make. We are doing life with Jesus every moment of every day. That is how we become “one flesh” with Christ just as He prayed (see John 17:21).
Think about Paul’s words in Colossians 3:3, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” If we have died, then life isn’t about us. It doesn’t matter what we think, what we say, what our opinion is, or what our response should be. We are supposed to be dead! We are to be concealed in Christ; He’s to be seen and heard through us. The truth is that none of us have been built to handle life on our own. We were created to function in union with Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should view all of life from His perspective, not ours. Apart from Him we can’t do anything (see John 15:5). Paul wrote these sobering words: “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, [as] enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is their destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18-19).

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