We as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have died to sin through Christ's death on the cross. We have been transferred from Satan's kingdom to Christ's kingdom. Our old sinful nature still tempts us to sin, however, and we need to do all we can to rid our lives of sin. We can begin to do this by setting our "hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." Colossians 3:1-2 goes on to tells us that we need to set our hearts and "minds on things above, not on earthly things." We must remember that our citizenship is in heaven and not on earth. Our lives on this earth are very brief and transitory in comparison to eternity.
Because we are united to the Lord, the living Christ, we are raised to a new life in Him. Our new lives in Christ must be lived out in practical righteousness in our daily walk in this world. We need to reflect Jesus in our lives and in our actions and speech. Our affections must be centered on the Lord and not on earthly things or earthly relationships. We must never forget that our purpose for being on this earth is to bring glory and praise to our Lord. For we died to sin through His death, and now our new lives in Christ are "hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3b)
When Christ returns someday we will be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever! Because of this blessed certainty of being with the Lord forever and because we are "hidden with Christ in God," we can and must seek to rid our lives of whatever is sinful. Colossians 3:5 tells us that we must "put to death" anything in our lives that belongs to our "earthly nature." We must "put to death" anything that belongs to our unregenerate state before we knew Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Colossians 3:9-10 further reminds us that we must take off the "old self" of sin, evil desires, and self-absorption; and we must "put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
As God's precious and chosen people Colossians 2:12 tells us we must clothe ourselves with "compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." We must seek to be godly and holy in all areas of our lives. We must seek to be patient with other people's faults and sins, and we must be forgiving. The Lord forgives us of all our many sins. Therefore we need to be willing to forgive others for the sins that they commit against us. The magnitude of our sins forgiven by the Lord far outweighs any wrong things others may commit against us. Finally, Colossians 3:14 tells us "over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
We also need to allow Christ's peace to rule in our hearts and lives. We were called to Christ's peace in our lives. We can have peace with God, peace with each other, and peace in our souls. We are able to experience peace no matter what is going on in our world around us, because His peace is not dependent on circumstances! When the Lord rules in our lives and hearts we can have a peace that the world can not understand! Peace and security is found only in Christ Jesus. It is His gift to us, His children.
We further must have a thankful heart and a heart that is full of praise for the Lord. Because of all He has done for us we must live our lives in gratitude to Him. Colossians 3:17 tells us "whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name if the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Whatever we do must be done for the glory of God. Our love for the Lord must show in our relationships in our family, in our work, and in all areas of our lives. Our love for the Lord must show in our thoughts, attitudes, and in our actions.
Colossians 3:24b says to us, "It is the Lord Christ you are serving." We must be putting off our old sin natures and clothing ourselves in our new lives in Christ. It must become our passion and joy to bring glory and praise to the Lord in all areas of our lives!
No comments:
Post a Comment