As grandparents, my wife and I delight in sharing experiences with our grandchildren that we had enjoyed with their mothers just a generation ago. This evening, we grabbed the implements for our quest—flashlights and sand buckets—and three generations of our family ventured out onto the now-darkened beach to hunt for the elusive “ghost crab!” Generally, these pale, almost translucent, crabs stay hidden deep in the sand during the day, never venturing far from their burrows under the sun’s revealing light. But after sunset, it is a different story!
These are “creatures of the night!” They are silent and stealthy, with explosive speed and reaction times to challenge the nimblest of creatures! All this added to the excitement and challenge as we scrambled across the sand in pursuit of them for nearly an hour. And by the adventure’s end, we had captured a small bucketful to scrutinize and delight in before releasing them to the shoreline.
One thing you quickly notice about these speedy crustaceans is their telescopic eyes. They tower above their protective shells on stalks to provide perfect eyesight and a 360° field of vision. That is quite an asset for a semi-terrestrial critter that lives in two worlds—partly in the sand and also in the water! Regardless of the environment, their eyes are always looking up!
In his letter to the church at Colossae, the apostle Paul reminded the people of God that we too are beings of two worlds: “Since you have been raised with Christ… your REAL LIFE is hidden with Him in God” (Colossians 3:1–3).
For all of us, there exists a mortal aspect to our being wherein we interact with the physical world in the “here and now!” This aspect so easily dominates our thinking and commandeers our emotions.
But to those who hear of and embrace the love God has extended in Jesus, there is also a second and greater reality to our lives. Though unseen, it transcends our mortal existence. It is to this that Paul refers in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new being. The old life with its realities is gone, and a new life has begun.” His words give insight into an invisible yet very real truth. This aspect of our existence begins when we open the door of our hearts to God so that He may commune intimately with us! And just as the joining of a man and woman conceives a new life, so the joining of our hearts with God brings a new, eternal element to our life. Colossians 1:26–27 calls this “the mystery that was hidden for ages but is now revealed to the Lord’s people… Christ in us!”
“Christ in us”—bringing with Him the entirety of His very being—opens the door for us to experience the fullness of life that He came to impart. But living in that fullness requires focus. And this is the purpose for which Paul spoke.
Filling in the gaps above, the full passage reads:
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of things above, where Christ is seated in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1–3).
Oh, Friends, God has given us Jesus so that we might experience the fullness of life that is only found in Him! Jesus called it “abundant life” (John 10:10)—one overflowing with His forgiveness, joy, love, and hope. But we must look beyond the momentary matters of this world to “the reality of things above,” and we must continually “seek” after these things. Therein, we can be like the ghost crab—a creature of two worlds who constantly looks to the one above!
Rick Sergi served for ten years as Senior Pastor at Emmanuel E.C. Church, Bethlehem, and is now District Field Director of the E.C.C. in the Lehigh Valley. Rick and his wife Joan are long-time residents of the Lehigh Valley. They have 3 adult daughters and 8 grandchildren.
