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1 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. 2 Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life - even though invisible to spectators - is with Christ in God. He is your life. 4 When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too - the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. 5 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 6 It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. 7 It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. 8 But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. 9 Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. 10 Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. 11 Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. (Colossians 3:1-11 The Message Bible)
A very blessed and terrific Tuesday be yours, dear Friend. May God brighten your path towards those who would be blessed by your witness and example. Pray for one another; pray for your needs, pray for those who have asked you to pray for them. We are people of prayer, who believe in the power in prayer. Pray for the needs of the world.
This passage spoke to some long gone memories of my childhood. I had a tough adolescence period. What didn't help was that I was uprooted from my birth home and town and placed in the huge metropolitan area of Houston. I went from the familiar to the strange; from the comforts of home to what seemed like a hostile. I began to find fault in myself. I thought I had a nose too large for my face, and of course, to begin with, I felt that my face also too large. So, as I walked the two blocks from our apartment to the bus stop where I boarded a city bus to ride to my junior high. I gave up looking people in the eye and walking like this passage said in verse two; shuffling along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of me. My mother joked as she said, "You are not looking for nickles, you're going to school, look up!" Easier said that done. And add to that all my clothing was ill-fitting and not because of bulging muscles. But thanks be to God this was happening as I was also discovering my faith in Jesus in more powerful ways, and what Paul is addressing, were becoming real and thus blessing me towards that day where God would call me into ordained ministry. The apostle's message about our old life is being dead is correct! When we surrender ourselves to Jesus, we have a new life! As we put on Jesus as our clothing, we should accept that we blend in with Christ, being obscure in Him as we ask Jesus to kill in us everything that is connected with the old life; sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever we fell like doing, and going after and grabbing whatever we desire; those things have no business being in us. These things make God angry, and Paul believes that God will "explode in anger" with those who have not yet surrendered to the new life. Paul stresses that things such as "bad temper, irrability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk," lying to one another, are all part of the old life, which should be dead. Taking Christ as Lord means taking Him as our new clothing, custom-fitted to us, with a custom label on it; we are now wearing the latest and greatest fashion. The label of God-designed replaces the old labels given to us or that we took for ourselves, such as Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligous, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing." We are now defined by Christ, and included in Christ. Thanks be to God!
Dear friend, if you have not yet surrendered your old life to God, do so today. You have to make the choice and give all the old stuff in you to God and God will make you new. And that's the only way to live!
PRAYER: Loving Father, we surrender to You that which in us is not in line with You. Help us put to death those things that are sinful and help us dress in Christ, with love and compassion and peace. Help us to bring about a revival and renewal in us for the honor and glory of God; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show off your new clothing in Christ that shines love for all people.
Receive my blessings of hope and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
