Verse of the Day: Colossians
3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and
beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
Is Jesus really the center
of our lives? If we say He is, does the way that we live reflect that? Do those
who knew us before we accepted the Lord see a notable difference in who we are
today? I am not talking about those who see us going to church for the first
time or see us going more often than we used to. Many are going to church, but
are not changing their behavior, thereby being seen as hypocrites because of
their words and deeds outside of the church building. I am talking about
genuine change; the kind of change that has not only made others notice, but
has also allowed God to open doors in our lives to share Jesus with others. The
Apostle Paul reminded the readers of this letter that they, as we, are dead to
self and sin, and have been raised in Christ to life everlasting. Therefore, we
are to put aside the things that we used to do before we were given a new life
in Jesus. Sadly, I believe we make far too many excuses for why we have not
changed in certain areas of our lives. We excuse our anger and evil passions by
blaming society and what is going on around us for arousing those fleshly and
devilish behaviors; when we should be focusing our attention on Jesus and the
changes He is trying to make in our live by the working of the Spirit and the
Word of God in us. The Apostle admonishes us to put on the “new man” as
followers of Jesus. As His children we are to have a heart of compassion. When
Jesus sees the lost He sees a people who are lost sheep without a shepherd
(Matt 9:36). God often had compassion for His people, and rather than destroy
them for their sin, He forgave them over and over (Ps 78:38). He also tells us
to do the same when we have occasion to have to forgive others (Col 3:13). The
Apostle goes on to tell us that we ought to be Christians who demonstrate
kindness and humility (meekness), and willing to suffer long, patiently putting
up with others (whether saved or unsaved). My brothers and sisters, this is the
area where we often destroy our chances of pointing others to Jesus. Somehow,
we have allowed ourselves to believe that the only way to reach the lost is to
beat them up with the Scriptures. Many of us, who already know the Lord are
often offended when we hear the truth about our own sin. However, if we are
truly seeking to allow the Lord to change us, then by the conviction of the
Holy Spirit we eventually realize that our offense came because we recognize
that God was right, and that there are areas of our life that need to be
pruned. May I remind us that the unsaved are not capable of thinking and processing
the same as we do? For this reason we must be careful to speak the truth in
love (and allow God to work in their hearts, to convict them of their sins
[John 16:7-9]). Will there be occasions when we may have to be a bit harder on
someone? Yes, but that would be with one who claims to be a brother or sister
in Christ who is being rebellious and disregarding what they know about who
they ought to be in Christ (1 Cor 5:9-13). Jesus was hard on the religious
(Pharisees) who should have known who He was and should have been leading
others to God, but by their behavior led people away from God and to themselves.
The Apostle reminds us in verse 14 that above all we are to put on love. In
other words, in all our interactions the foundation for our actions should be
love (the love of Jesus). Peace is to rule in our hearts (v. 15), so that we
are at peace with others and amongst each other (Rom 12:18). The Word of God is
to dwell in us richly (influence us abundantly to do good). The bottom line is
that in order for us to succeed in putting on the “new man” we must stay in the
Word daily, pray without ceasing, and stay our focus on the Lord. I ask you
once again, “Does our behavior, and the way we live, really reflect that we
have put off the “old man” and put on the “new man” in Jesus?”
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