“Set Your Affections On Things Above”
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
Naturally we have no affection for anything else.
There is no such thing as a spiritual desire or a heavenly affection in our soul, when we are in a state of unregeneracy. So fallen are we that we love, and cannot but love the world, and the things of the world. We have no heart for anything but the things of time and sense. No, rather, as our carnal mind is enmity against God, we hate everything which is spiritual, heavenly, and holy.
One main part, therefore, of the work of God upon the soul, is to take off our affections from these earthly things–and to fix them upon Jesus where He sits enthroned above–that we may love and hate those same things which He loves and hates.
Our affections are not to be set upon things on the earth. Business, worldly cares, the interests of our family, the things of time and sense–in whatever form they come, whatever shape they may assume, must not so entwine themselves around our affections as to bind them down to the earth.
We may use them for the support and sustentation of our life–but we must not abuse them. We are not to set our affections on them!
Houses
Gardens
Land
Property
Friends
Family
All these earthly things we are not to set our affections on–so that they become idols. Thus any lovely object may be foul–because turned to an idol.
It may be but a flower–and yet be an idol.
It may be a darling child whom everybody admires for its beauty and attractiveness–yet it may be a defiling idol.
A cherished project may be an idol.
A crop of wheat
A flock of sheep
A good farm
A thriving business
The respect of the world
May all be defiling idols–for all these things, when eagerly pursued and loved, draw the soul away from God, and by drawing it insensibly from Him, bring pollution and guilt into the conscience.
Now we are, or by grace in due time shall be, weaned and divorced from earth with all its charms and pleasures and all its polluting idols.
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (1st John 5:21)
“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and yea shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.” (Ezekiel 36:25)
J.C. Philpot
Jesus is LORD! 
During this time when the wicked men, who rule this earth, are forcing all to “distance” themselves from one another under a false condition, to turn man against man through a spirit of corruptible fear and control. However, we who truly belong to Christ see this as a judgement against mankind and their love of pleasure and idolatry, for us it’s a further cleansing to be set free from the affairs of this world, and preparing us more the Kingdom of God, so that we may say as Paul wrote;
Php_3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Php 3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Php 3:18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Php 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
So that we may be One with our Lord, as the Lord is with His Father….
May the Lord grant us more Grace to die to all things concerning this wicked and sinful world.
In His Love….