Cabin Devotion with Miss Anna

Hidden with Christ

One funeral I recently attended left a very different impression on me. The woman that had

passed away, a devout Christian, had left an incredible love-filled legacy of Christ for the people

she knew and impacted. While people were obviously sad and mourning the loss of their family

member, there was still an underlying sense of genuine joy and hope for this family.

The love left behind by the woman was so full and Christ-centered that the people at her funeral

could not help but have joy at the thought of her dancing and praising Jesus in eternal paradise,

enjoying the rewards of her salvation. Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds “on things above,

not on things on the earth.” It was abundantly clear that the woman who had passed embodied

this verse well, and those attending the funeral did not grieve as those who have no hope (1

Thessalonians 4:13-18), but rather were confident that they would all be reunited again

someday.

When we have problems (or a global pandemic), it’s often easy to focus on the material needs

and fears of the moment we are in. Will I or people I know get sick? What will this year look like?

How can we go back to the way things were before? However, Paul tells us that no matter what

happens to us on earth, we are already dead—dead to worldly desires and sin. Genuine joy

stems from the fact that our souls are alive in Christ and our lives are “hidden with Christ in

God.” (Colossians 3)

So how can we focus on the eternal rather than our temporary struggles in order to fully live in

the joy of Christ?

- Seek Jesus!

In Colossians 1:29, Paul says, “To this end I labor, striving according to His

working which works in me mightily.” Jesus is living and working mightily inside of YOU, and all

we need to do is spend time with Him to grow that relationship.

- Am I investing my time in deepening my relationship with Christ by reading my Bible,

praying, or worshiping?

- Is my time with Jesus motivated by ritual or obligation rather than a deep desire to know

my Savior more fully?

- Is my relationship with Jesus my first priority?

Grow Spirit-filled fruit. Colossians 3:12 tells us to put on “kindness, humility, meekness,

long suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.”

- Take time to look at your “fruit.” Is my life full of love, joy, peace, and patience? Or is my

heart more full of envy, anger, fear, and pride? Ask Jesus to fill you with His fruit.

Love others. In Colossians 2, Paul tells us to be “knit together in love” and that the greatest of

the qualities mentioned above is love, “which is the bond of perfection.”

- Am I taking intentional time to reach out to others and share the love of Christ with

them?

- Do I reach out to those who are struggling or do I shy away from getting too deeply

involved and invested in others’ lives?

- Is my love self-sacrificing or do I only love when it is convenient for me?

Seek unity. According to the Bible, in Christ, “there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor

uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.”

- Am I judging people by the world’s standards or finding ways to unify people in the love

of Christ?

- Am I looking for ways to find common ground and love people through Christ’s

perspective?

Dear Lord, I praise you because my life is made whole in You. I thank You for the gift of Your

Son and that we do not have to fear the troubles of this world because our souls are hidden with

You. I pray for an eternal perspective, to see through Your eyes and live in a way that glorifies

You. I pray for a deep desire to know You more fully and that I would knit people together in

love and unity, build up others, and bear fruit that is pleasing to You. Help me to keep my eyes

heaven-focused, living a life to glorify You. Amen.

Love,

Miss Anna