Greetings once again in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  A couple of days ago in my devotions I read Colossians 3. There was one verse in particular that jumped out at me that I would like to share with you.  Paul begins the chapter discussing how that once we are a Christian, we must act like it. He says that since we are risen with Christ we are to seek those things which are above. As a Christian we must have an upward look. Our look determines our direction. In verse 2 it the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost makes this statement: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”  It says we are to set our affections. The word set here carries the idea of setting the sails on a sail boat.  When I was in Bible College, I took a P.E. Elective on sailing. We would go out to a private beach owned by the college and would sail on a double hulled vessel called a Catamaran. We were taught how to properly set the main sail and jib sail to catch the most wind and get the most speed out of the vessel. Once you found the proper wind you could speed right along on the correct course you were set for.

Paul is saying that we must set the sails of our affection on things above and not on the earth. Our affections are our passions or desires. Webster in his 1828 Dictionary defines affection as “a bent of mind toward a particular object; a permanent bent of mind, formed by the presence of an object.” We are exhorted to set the sails of our affection on Godly things not worldly things. There are all kinds of different winds that are blowing at us and we must make sure that we set our sails to the correct ones.

What happens when you set your sails to the wrong wind? You get blown off course. God has a course that He has personally and specifically charted out for each of us. Again, there are many different winds that blow at us, and if we are not careful we can set our sails on the wrong wind and find ourselves off course.

You say, “Well then, I’ll take the easy way and just not set my sails in the first place.”  Even though this is the easy way out, it is just as dangerous as setting your sails to the wrong wind. In our sailing class we learned a sailing term that is called “in irons.”  “In Irons” means that the vessel has lost all the wind and is no longer moving forward, it is just sitting there. Your vessel is dead to the wind and cannot move forward. In irons means “no go.” You just sit there at the mercy of the sea. The problem with being “in irons” is that your vessel would begin to drift with the current and eventually,if not corrected your vessel will drift completely off course.

There are a lot of Christians out there who are “in irons”. They just lazily drift along in life. They don’t read their Bible, they don’t pray, they don’t go soul winning; they just don’t do anything.  They find themselves drifting and eventually backslidden far away from God; far away from the course that He had charted for them.

We are encouraged to set the sails of our affection on things above; the things of God. This however, is a deliberate choice that requires deliberate action on our part. Where are you setting the sails of your affection? Setting them to the world or even going “in irons” and doing nothing, is equally as dangerous, and will both will cause you to go off course. My desire is that all of you who read this will set the sails of your affection on things above and not on the things of this earth. I challenge you to set your sails right and follow the course that God has charted out for your life. The real blessings and fulfillment in life are found in the course that God has charted out for your life. Don’t allow yourself to drift or get blown off course.  “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Thank you for taking the time to read this and may the Lord richly bless you.