“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” — Colossians 2:6-8

Followers of Jesus must learn to think about the life of Christ and the new life that we now experience with Him. But if we are honest, we must admit that thinking about these things on a consistent basis doesn’t happen naturally. And so, in the words of the Apostle Paul, we have to intentionally set our minds on these things.

The act of setting your mind on something implies a level of focus that is locked in on a particular object and not distracted by what’s going on around you. When a batter steps in the box, he sets his mind on hitting the pitch he wants to hit and clears his head of everything else going on around him.

How would you describe your current level of focus when it comes to following Jesus? What does it even look like to be locked in on the life of Christ and the new life that we now experience with Him?

As followers of Jesus, we must meditate and focus on Jesus’ way of life and the fact that He is now Lord over this world. We can start by setting our mind on Scripture. And as we read through what God has done in human history, we will gain a deeper understanding of Christ and the kind of life we were meant to live.

— Terry Evans, Atlanta Braves chaplain

The Increase, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is a community of Christian pro athletes sharing their personal stories of the decrease of self and the increase of Christ (John 3:30). Visit TheIncrease.com for more stories and videos.