Lord Help! continued

"Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Col. 3:1-2).

Hey Gang:  In a recent Gramps Morning Thoughts blog it was suggested that most folks do not like change.  We like our rocking chair with iced tea and a nice cool breeze, but we also know from experience, ‘that is not God's way’ most of the time.  It is not the easy path that leads to growth. That comes from carving, grinding and reshaping on the potter’s wheel.  That is what leads us into God's path of righteousness.

We also learned that Paul's method of teaching was to give us a principle and then expand on the principle- giving us instruction on how we should go about implementing the principle. In Colossians 3:1-17 Paul expands on how does one "…seeks the things above".   

In step one Paul gives us the bad news: we must die to self.  Wait a minute Lord, did you not put a free will in my head?   Yes, but I also placed a will, inside of your dome of intellect, to choose whether you will follow the black dog or the white dog. Will you take up your cross and follow Me or choose to go your own way?

In step two, Paul tells us we need to do some deep soul searching and put off all those things that grieve the Holy Spirit. He lists some of the more common sins that tend to get us in trouble with God and with our neighbor - like anger, lying, abusive speech, wrath and malice.

Putting off is of little value, if we do not replace it with step three, something that prevents the evil one from returning with all-of-his cousins.  Paul says, “Put on the new self, who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him” (Col 3:10).   Fill your heart with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing one another's burdens, and forgiving each other but above all 'PUT ON LOVE'.

Paul's fourth step is the glue that binds, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body", and "let the word of Christ richly dwell with you" (3:15-16a).

Notice Paul closes this teaching on how to live an effective life for Christ with a final word of advice:  “Whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks through Him to God the Father”.   Also notice that in verse one we find the trigger phrase that makes this process work, "If, you have been raised up with Christ".  For me, that is a daily challenge that does not come easy.   The "if" is the triggering device.

As a growing up kid at home, my Saturday chore was to clean the basement, called a cellar.  Basements are nice cement walls with nice cement floors with gas furnaces that do not require coal and taking out of the ashes.  What I am saying cleaning the cellar was grungy. 

It kind-of resembled my life at that time.  I was not a nice kid, but I will not give Satan credit by telling of the sins of my past.  Paul’s cleaning process was in my Bible and I even read it once or twice in those teen years, but it did not do me a licking bit of good for I did not apply it!  You might want to take-a-peek in your closet and see if you need to use those eight words, ‘die to self’, ‘put off’, ‘put on’, and ‘let God’ have his way with your life.

Blessings,

Gramps