by Bryan Chappell
Set your minds on things that are above. … For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:2–4

Paul told us we should “set [our] minds on things that are above.” Why? “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Now, you understand that Jesus is united to God. And if you’re united to Jesus and He’s united to God, then you’re with Christ in God. He says “hidden with Christ in God.”
Do you know why you’re hidden? The answer is in verse 4: “When Christ who is your life appears …” Christ is your life. But verses 2 and 3 say you’re dead. Now verse 4 says Christ is your life. So I’ve got a question for you: If you’re dead, and Jesus is your life, who are you?
Well, of course, nobody wants to say he or she is Jesus! And that’s a good thing. So I’ll change the way I ask the question. If you’re dead and Jesus is your life, whose identity do you have? You have the identity of Christ. It’s as though your identity has been obscured by His. You’re with Him. This means what’s true of Him—God’s love for Him, His righteousness before the Father, His position of favor in the heavens—is true of you, because you’re dead and His life is in your place because you’re united to Him.
Sometimes at dinner my daughter and I play a game we call “Napkin War.” When we’re done eating I wait until she pretends to look away, wad up my napkin, and throw it at her. And as soon as I hit her, she’ll pick up that napkin or wad up her own napkin and come right back at me. Suddenly the war is on. But I always win because I’m a better shot. So my daughter has discovered an ingenious way to protect herself. She gets up out of her chair and hides behind her mother. She knows I won’t throw my napkin at her mother! She’s hidden—she’s safe—from all I could throw at her. Think about that, and apply it to your relationship with the Father through Christ.

Thought to Remember for Today

You and I, before a holy and just God, are rightly deserving of the wrath of hell itself. But by the grace of God, we are united to Christ, and with Him we are hidden from the wrath of God. You are in the place of privilege and rest and love because of the grace of God on your behalf. Won’t you let yourself rest in that beautiful truth today?

Fitzpatrick, E. (2016). Grace untamed: a 60-day devotional. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.