Paul begins this passage with the words, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, ...”
In life there is an inescapable relationship between ‘IF’ and ‘THEN’. If Jesus has been raised from the dead, this fact cannot be an idle truth. It matters what we do with it; it matters how we live in the light of it.

Truth correlates with reality in life. Truth compels us to believe, and to deny its power on our life is to live in self-deceit. If for example,  it is true that I need Oxygen to survive, it follows that without it I will die.
If it is true that moral righteousness preserves you and your life, then moral turpitude will be hurtful to us and those around us whether in the short or long term.  You do not stand in front of a car speeding at 100 kph and hope to escape unscathed.
Similarly the truth of the resurrection fits reality. To live within this truth is to choose a certain course of life, while living outside the shadow of this truth has consequences corresponding to it.
Therefore Paul calls upon the Christian who has been raised with Christ to keep his eyes and heart set on the heavenly. The resurrection means that we cannot live for this life alone – we are passing guests.
Anything in this life which does not build our eternal perspective is dimmed in significance; it is useful for this life alone. The resurrection we share with Christ changes our mindset.
The value of anything in this life is commensurate with its eternal significance.
So the Bible says, “Put to death ... what is earthly in you.” He who lives for sexual immorality or impurity or covetousness and the like has his eyes on the gratification of this flesh.
He has no hope beyond the pleasures of this life. However, a resurrected Christian puts to death – extinguishes – the passions of the flesh which war against his higher aspirations.
Resurrected Christian ‘puts on’ holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, patience and the like. This Christian is a citizen of another country, a pilgrim in this life.
I lived in Australia for five years. Like any other person away from their country of birth, I faced the challenges of foreignness. I thought shrimps were unpalatable, their summer dress code was too naked for me, and social relationships lacked the cohesion I knew at home.
Take for example, when I called a friend and his statement soon after greeting me was, “What can I do for you?” That was rude for me.
In such moments I would sit and watch the sun fall in the west and think about my country Uganda. They did not think Uganda was as good as their own country; I did not think their country was good for my permanent residence. My mind was in Uganda.
Even so, the resurrected Christian’s mind is with Christ and his mind is preoccupied with those things that have value ‘at home’ with the risen Lord.
He is homesick. Just as I discriminated between what was fitting for me as a Ugandan, so the resurrected Christian discriminates between what fits his heavenly citizenship and what does not.
If Christ is risen, it makes a difference how you live.

Rev. Dr. John Senyonyi is the UCU Vice Chancellor