Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A New Way to Live... Get rid of these things

SCRIPTURE

Colossians 3:1  If then you have a new life with Christ, give your attention to the things of heaven, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Keep your mind on the higher things, not on the things of earth. 3 For your life on earth is done, and you have a secret life with Christ in God. 4 At the coming of Christ who is our life, you will be seen with him in glory.

OBSERVATION

Even though I became a Christian at nine years old, I still made a lot of wrong choices and didn't allow the Lord to have control of my life . I didn’t begin to live up to the way of life that Jesus calls us to live until not too many years ago.

For most of my life I have been a Christian and was sure of my salvation, but I didn’t live with my “mind on the higher things.” I lived for too many years with the same way of thinking that the non-Christian has, my mind was on the things of this earth that Paul list in Colossians 3:

5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self,

Just a basic list of “little” sins, I am still a good person, everybody does them, what’s the big deal? The Bible says in verse 6 that because of these “little” sins the wrath of God is coming.

Not that any of us can possibly die to self completely but our way of life should be much different from how the average Christian lives. There are way too many of these traits that are prevalent in the church, stirring up trouble and hurting the cause of Christ. It is sad that the world looks at the church and thinks “why do I need that, they are not any better than I am.”

APPLICATION

It is easy to get caught up in the cares of this world and pursue our own interest, I will be careful to stay away from these little sins and “give my attention to the things of heaven.”

PRAYER

Help me Jesus to live as you called me to live; I want to be pleasing to you. Help me to live different so that the world will see the difference and be curious about this new way of live.