2017-03-10
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, we looked at the great hope we get from COL 3: 3-4 after being reminded of our need to be better at obeying God’s teaching and His directives. “You have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life is Christ, and when He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share His glory.” Today, I have been directed to write more about COL 3. Verse 5 lists human desires that often lead people into sin, such as sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil, and greed. These are things we should “put to death.” In particular, there is widespread greed in our society, something God tells us is a form of idolatry. Consider people who put money before God’s teaching as a worthwhile impetus. We have all known them or even been them. That is why I cited MT 6: 24 about not being able to serve two masters…money (mammon) and God.
In COL 3: 6, we are told to rid ourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, and foul language. Television is still our most affordable source of entertainment. Now consider the content of so many programs, especially those shown during prime time when children are apt to be watching. TV is not the only culprit; many other media are right there with it. This can’t be pleasing to God! I’m not suggesting that we stop exposing ourselves to the real world, but I am saying that we need to consider the content of what we allow ourselves to see and hear. You might say, “well, it’s easy for Lynn to write about these things…” It isn’t! Those of you who have read my writing for a long time know that I struggled for a long time with the use of foul language, smoking, and other unwise behaviors. I’m as imperfect as anyone else. It took things like my father’s “swear box,” a container that sat on the table and received our hard-earned allowance money when we children swore. Sadly, that was often, and my issues with this continued into my thirties and forties. Finally, I overcame that sin, only to discover others that needed attention.
COL 3: 9-10 is very important to us all. “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Each day, God is renewing us in His own image, so that we might know Him better and be closer to Him. Does this mean the job is done? No, not at all, as we are works in progress. Verse 11 reminds us that human divisions mean nothing. God [Christ] is in us all, whether we are slave or free, male or female, Jew or Gentile, etc. All too often we forget Martin Luther King’s words, “Do not judge a person by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.” That’s a powerful and God-driven reminder. God loves us all, even though we often disappoint Him. COL 3:12 tells us that holy living means we are to demonstrate the attributes and behaviors outlined in GA 5: 22-23, the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are peace, joy, compassion, kindness, gentleness, humility, patience, love, and self-control. When shown genuinely, they are the outgrowth of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is all to us. COL 3: 13 is a key concept. We are to forgive others, as God has forgiven us. I’ll write more about that later. COL 3:14 lets us know that love binds these qualities together in perfect unity.
Since we are all members of one body, the body of Christ, let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (15). How easy it is in the heat of anger to forget the target may well be a brother or sister in Christ. People who spend their lives learning the word of God really give themselves an advantage in holy living over others that don’t. This doesn’t mean we who know the Bible are better than others, only that we help ourselves to see the choices for how to react to others that are available. The Holy Spirit living in us directs us to make wise choices. Now the questions are: do we listen to the Holy Spirit? Do we remember to be thankful for the blessings we have? What is the nature of our personal and corporate obedience to God? We must answer these questions for ourselves. “Whatever we do, we should do in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” [COL 3: 17].
PRAYER: O Lord, you have not held back any important teaching from us, nor do you hold back Your love [JN 15: 13-16]. We are grateful; our hearts are open to Your messages through the Holy Spirit. We live in a world that is fettered with sinfulness, temptation, and challenges. But You don’t abandon those who love You [DT 31: 6; PS 9: 9-10; RO 8: 38-39]. Holy living is not easy, but it is attainable with effort. That effort is to overcome our natural desires and to be obedient to You. If we are willing to do this, then we can enjoy inner peace-Your signal to us that You are pleased. It sometimes takes a long time, as it did with this writer, to realize the wisdom of some of Your teaching. You are omnipresent and omniscient. This means You can be with us 24/7 and still be with others too. This consistent presence in our lives is nothing to be afraid of; instead, it is to be treasured. You are a living God, One Who, through the Holy Spirit, teaches us, consoles us in times of trial, offers useful help when needed, and rebukes us when that is necessary. We do not have to live our lives ridden with guilt and fright. Instead, we need to turn to You FIRST when questions arise or advice is needed. Your wisdom is supreme [JOB 28: 22-24]. The learned behavior will stand us in good stead. We thank and praise You for Your constant love and remarkable wisdom made available to us, even though we don’t deserve it. These things we say in the holy/mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: As promised, I will return to a more complete discussion of COL 3: 13 and the subject of forgiveness. While this week, the Holy Spirit kept me sticking pretty close to COL 3, next week, He leads me to discuss some other related concepts from other places in His word. Growing up, I was pretty much of a free thinker-willful, even full of myself at times. Why mention this? The reason is that I was never really happy. I didn’t really know what real happiness was. But as maturity set it, the Lord Jesus opened my eyes to what I was missing. The more my faith in Him grew, the more peace my life was given. Is He able to do this for everyone? I don’t profess to know, but I believe He is able to do it for a lot of people. My hope is that each of you reading this devotion is one of them. I’ll pray for that and that each of us can be successful in improving our obedience to Him. Praise and thanks for His love and wisdom!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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