“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).

We are in the middle of a series of devotions on sanctification. As we learned in an earlier Chaplain’s Corner, even though we have been set apart — or sanctified — positionally as God’s holy people, there is no question that we continue to sin. That is why God calls us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our ongoing sanctification with a goal of becoming more like Jesus Christ.  In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Paul addresses these “holy and faithful” brothers and sisters in Christ, expressing his gratefulness for them and his ongoing prayers for them. This is a very practical letter, full of instructions. We would do well to heed these instructions ourselves.

He first gives us instructions about what to stop doing. They are very clear, and I doubt if anyone would argue with them. While none of us would say these are good things to do, what we may find ourselves thinking or saying is “that’s not so bad” because in the current culture, these are the behaviors that make us fit right in. But here is the deal, first, the Word of God tells us point-blank that these things bring on the wrath of God, and secondly, they are evidence that we are not growing in the image of Christ, which is sanctification. We learned in “Sharing the Gospel” training that it is essential to our witness that we do not discredit our personal testimony or the integrity of the Mission by our attitude, speech, or actions. Satan is fighting us all the way on these things. We need to see this situation for what it is and know that we have the power to overcome all evil through Jesus Christ our Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit. Here are the commands right out of God’s Word to us:

What Not to Do: – Sins of the body, mind, and mouth (Colossians 3:5-11):

• Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
• But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
• Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

What to Do Instead (Colossians 3:12-15):

• Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
• Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
• And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
• Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
• And be thankful.

Let us prayerfully and faithfully commit to these things and let us lovingly encourage one another to grow in our Christlikeness, all for the glory of God.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:16-17).

In Christ,

Judy

P.S.: If you would like to talk more about any of these devotions or matters that concern you, please stop by my office, or call or text me at 615-804-3453 to arrange a time, and I will be happy to speak with you.