September 6-8

Colossians 3:13-15

As the Lord Forgives

13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

YOU see that, don’t you? “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

     Funny (as in timely and truly) how God’s Word works, as I was thinking an hour ago of someone who really made me mad about 2 years ago. You know what that’s like, don’t you? Out of nowhere comes this memory of someone’s attitude, words or actions against you. You feel your pulse rising and your mind considering what you really wanted to say.

     But wait a minute. Do those thoughts really come out of nowhere? In reality they come out of an unforgiving heart, don’t they? My second thought was, “Let it go. Forgive him.” But I didn’t. My heart has too much unforgiveness to feel forgiveness. So what do I do?

     Ah—there’s the answer: Bear with the man and realize I’m a sinner, too. Put on love and consider how in his love, Jesus died for me when he could easily have held judgment and righteous anger in his heart against me. I need to forgive the man as the Lord forgave me.

     Without Jesus’ love in my heart, I have no capacity to forgive unless I wear Jesus’ love. Oh, Jesus’ love is the love that brought him to the world. Jesus’ love is the love that confronted the devil, the legalists and the sinners. Jesus’ love is the love that healed disease and healed sin. Jesus’ love is (John 15:13) Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  Jesus’ love forgives.

A Moment’s Thought: Time to forgive, isn’t it?

September 5, 2013 Clean the House

Read Colossians 3:6-8

Clean the House

6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 

THERE are many we ways we try to justify and even make excuses for what we do, aren’t there? For example, in response to God’s teaching here to put away anger, we might say, “But he made me so angry!” or “What she did to me was unforgivable. I can’t be around someone like that.” We put the blame on someone else for our emotions and our attitudes, and we even blame them for our sinful actions.

     This has been the way of ungodly thinking since Adam blamed his sin on his wife, and Eve blamed her sin on the snake.

     But what is true? God has created you in his image, and that means you have a mind to know truth from lies. You have a mind to know what’s right and what’s wrong, and God wants you to use your mind to do what is of Him.

     If you respond in anger to someone, you are deciding to be angry. If you hold malice toward someone, you have decided to do so. If you use vulgar language, you have decided to do so. No one “makes” you have the emotions you have or causes you to respond as you do. These are your decisions.

     How will you decide? Will you decide to express wisdom and understanding instead of anger? Will you decide to forgive instead of hold malice? Will you decide to speak blessing instead of cursing? Will you decide to follow Jesus in your heart?

A Moment’s Thought: Get in control with Jesus’ power.

September 4, 2013 Secure in Jesus

Read Colossians 3:3-5

Secure in Jesus

3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

WHAT does it mean to be “hidden with Christ”? Consider the reason you hide a valuable object. You want it to be secured and safe, so you put it in a place where it will be protected.

     As you are hidden with Christ in God, the Father has put you in a safe place with his Son. You are away from the world’s evils that Paul so clearly lists here. Even more, you are safe from God’s eternal condemnation and secure in God’s eternal salvation because you are with Jesus.

     Jesus is your Commander, who secures you with his true words. Jesus is your Savior, who secures you with his blood. Jesus is your Brother, who secures you as a child of God. Jesus is your Friend, who models the true life. Jesus is your King, who secures you with his power as he sits on Heaven’s throne. Jesus is your Storm Calmer, who secures you from the waves flooding over you.  Jesus is your Alpha and Omega, who secures you from eternity past into eternity future. Jesus is your Son of Man, who will come again to secure you from the world into Heaven’s glory.

     As you are hidden with Jesus in God, you are secure to read the Bible, to pray to God, to hear his voice and to tell the world of his great love.

     Reject sin. Celebrate you are safe with Jesus in God.

A Moment’s Thought: Why would you want to be anywhere else? 

September 3, 2013 Wear the New

Read Colossians 3:1-2

Wear the New

3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

WHAT would it be like if you purchased a new set of clothes but didn’t wear them?  Or you bought a new car but still drove the old car? What if you built a new house but remained in the old one? You’d miss out on the benefit of the new, wouldn’t you? Your purpose for getting new would become useless, and your physical life would remain unchanged.

     Now, what would happen if you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but you failed to “wear” his truths? Instead, you kept your mind on the things that keep you from Jesus’ love? What would happen if you preferred your old ways to Jesus, who is the Way? Your purpose for receiving Jesus would become useless, wouldn’t it?

     When you confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, he sends the Spirit of Truth to clothe you in his truth, help you navigate through life and offer you the key to enter the Father’s heavenly home. Paul urges the Colossians to take on their new life in Jesus as they turn their hearts to the Lord, who sits at the right hand of God. Jesus has the power and the authority to change their lives. To ignore him would be to belittle his death for you. To seek him would be to honor and worship the King for his life-changing gifts.

     What clothes will you wear?  

A Moment’s Thought: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

September 2, 2013 Head Connection

Colossians 2:18-19

Head Connection

18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

MUCH has been written about “Custer’s Last Stand”, the annihilation of the 7^th Cavalry under Gen. George Custer. One repeated reason for Custer’s defeat is that he spoke eloquently to draw people to his side, but he had disconnected himself from the head authority of the U.S. Army. He was a man who waged his own private “war” aside from the army’s purpose and policies. In response, one general refused to help him during the fight, saying, “That’s just Custer.”

     The Colossian church was under this type of separation threat. With such words as, “He has lost connection with the Head.” Paul warns against false teachers who taught that God could only be approached by worshiping various levels of angels (check out the Mormon lies). Paul warned the church that these men spoke well and had details about what they had seen (sounds like Joseph Smith, Mormon founder), but the church must know they spoke against God’s true Word.

     Custer tried to lead in his own authority, and he died. Cult leaders such as Smith have for centuries tried to lead in their own authority separated from Jesus’ authority, and they are condemned to eternal death. 

     Be alert! You will hear people say, “I have a new revelation from God.” Separate yourself from the lies. Be bound to Jesus.

A Moment’s Thought: Victory is only in the Commander of heaven’s army.