“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above.” (Colossians 3:1) 

According to St. Paul’s explanation in his letter to the Ephesians (4:17 – 6:9), “seeking the things above” means to ‘lay aside the old self, and put on the new self”, “do not sin”, “immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you”, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord”, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger” and “with good will render service”. 

How can we achieve these results?  The first requirement is to let the risen Christ live among us.

Jesus once said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” However, since Jesus has already shouldered our weakness and sins, as long as we are willing to continue renewing ourselves and work hard at acting out God’s will again, we will naturally live in the risen Jesus.

The greatest pain that Jesus endured on the cross was the sense of being abandoned by the Heavenly Father.  He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

We can think of our own times of trials and misfortunes as our encounters with this “forsaken Christ”.  Moreover, He will always remain by our side.  He only wishes that we can ardently work to live our lives according to the will of God.