Put Off & Put On

Last week, we finished up Colossians in our Bible study. We went over the last two chapters, one section being the "put off's" and "put on's" that Paul lists. These lists follow one of Paul's quotables: "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (3:2). I don't remember who it was that said it, but how profound! Every "put off" that Paul lists is a sin that starts in...the mind!!! That is why he prefaced it all with telling us to set our minds on heavenly things, because it will lead us away from sin and into Christ-likeness. Here is the list of "put off's" that grow out of the mind. Think about how each of these begin as thoughts. They don't even have to be fleshed out to be sinful.

~Immorality
~Impurity
~Passion
~Evil Desires
~Greed
~Anger
~Wrath
~Malice
~Slander
~Abusive Speech

All of the "put on's" that Paul lists also start with the mind. They start with thinking, "Because of what Christ has done for me, I will respond to Him by willfully being... And this is a way I can flesh it out."

~Compassion
~Kindness
~Humility
~Gentleness
~Patience
~Forebearance
~Forgiveness
~Love
~Peace

We are called to stop the first list dead in its tracks before it manifests itself outside the mind -- and preferrably reach a point where it does not even enter the mind (praise God, heaven is coming). The second list we are to train our minds to follow AND manifest outwardly towards others. We just started Philippians -- and to this hard task I add a word of encouragement...

You can do all things through Christ who gives you the strength to do what you should!

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Another very meaninful thought was based on the big picture of Colossians. The first two chapters tell us what Christ has done for us and Who He is. The last two chapters tell us what our response should be to Christ. It hit me...SO often I fall into the moral To Do checklist mentality. I do what is right because it is what is expected of me as a Christian. While it is one correct conclusion, it is not the supreme conclusion as to why I must live according to Scripture. Why I do what I do SHOULD be done as a loving, thankful response to Christ for what He did for me on Calvary. That should be my motivation for doing right. I am not a Christian because I am a good person. I am a CHRISTian because I identify with Christ, and it is because of His work that I even CAN be obedient to Him. Amazingly simple but profound thought, huh?

So forget your moral To Do list, and do what you do because you want to show Christ how thankful you are to Him for what He has done!

Applications Concerning Jesus

Last week in my study of Colossians, one of the assignments was to read the whole book and list everything Paul said about Jesus whether stated or implied. It was a long list! Today, I was to take that list and divide it into A) Jesus as God and B) Jesus as Savior and Lord. That part was easy. Then I was instructed to go through EACH item and ponder it, apply it to my life. That was the hard part -- talk about humbling, convicting, and praise-inducing! I thought I'd list the ones that impacted me most. I pray it opens your eyes more to just how powerful Christ is and how much more He deserves from us than we give!

• Sits at the right hand of God (3:1) – This reminds me that His work is truly finished. Christ reigns over sin and death. His blood covers me, and I am found righteous in God’s eyes. Now I need to work on truly being the righteous one He sees.
• Creator of…Recipient of…Head of… (1:16) – Christ is more powerful than I remember. He is not just the Man who died for my sin and I can call Friend. He is the Great I AM!
• Before all things/Beginning (1:17, 18) – Christ is one with the Father and Spirit, just as powerful. He is God!
• Is in all (3:11) – Christ dwells within ME. God of the universe who died for my sinful wickedness chose to live with me every moment of every day no matter how many times I fail Him.
• Trustworthy (1:3) – His will for me is perfect. He will finish what He started in me. He knows what is best for me. He is the only being who is perfectly trustworthy. Why do I try to be in control so much? He does a much better job than me, a fallible human!
• Peace (3:15) – He gives the peace that passes all understanding. Why do I stress and worry so much over things that don’t affect eternity? When I try to be in control, stress reigns as I try to keep chaos at bay. When Christ is in control, peace reigns in my heart because He is trustworthy and able.
• Rescued us from darkness (1:13) – While I was alienated, hostile, and engaged in evil deeds, He still chose to rescue me from my eternal doom. And even though I fail Him every day, He never lets me go and will not let darkness overtake me.
• Redeemed us through His death (1:14, 22) – He lived a perfect life and chose to die a cruel death so that I would not have to. I do not cherish this thought NEARLY as much as I should. I do not understand the full reality of what He went through to save me the pain and eternal separation from God. I must praise Him more both through worship and through living according to His will!
• Forgives/Obtained for us the forgiveness of our sins (1:14, 22; 2:13-14; 3:13) – Seven thousand times Seventy Thousand! I fail Him multiple times every day, but He has forgiven even the sins I don’t even recognize. He is gracious and merciful, knowing that I can not be perfect this side of heaven. He covers me and makes with without spot or blemish. He is the greatest Friend of all who hides my faults within Himself.
• Presents us holy and blameless before the Father (1:22) – I am not holy and blameless from a human perspective. Christ knows I have a long way to go, but His Spirit dwells within me to help me. However, because of Christ’s work on the cross, He presents me spotless in righteousness before the Father. His righteousness covers me. How humbling!
• Offers Himself to Gentiles (1:27) – Oh what a mystery! We are not God’s chosen nation, but He has chosen to graft our wild olive branches into His cultivated olive tree. Wild dogs among the best breed. Wild flowers growing in a manicured garden. Ragamuffin kids adopted into a family of royalty. And yet He loves us EQUALLY. He sees us all as His very own. He sees us as one!
• Was buried and rose again so that we can be too (2:12) – I do not appreciate the resurrection and give it the place of reverence it deserves. Had Christ not been able to rise from the dead, all would have been in vain. It was not enough for Him to live a perfect life and die on a cross for my sin. He had to conquer death, the consequence of sin. Because He DID conquer death, it has no hold on me now. It bends to His will, not its own. His resurrection is the proof we have that He is above all the rest, that He is the one true God.
• Created the new self (3:10) – He is the power behind the new self within me. No matter how strong my flesh is fighting, I can know that it has no power over me and I do not have to give in. So many times, though, I do follow my flesh. I need to recognize the power of the Spirit more often and rely on it rather than myself to conquer temptation.
• The hope of glory (1:27) – Without Christ, what is the point of living life? Life without hope should just be called living death. Without the goal of Christ and eternity in His kingdom as perfect beings, life is not worth living. He is our hope of eternal glory!
• Strength (1:11) – He gives me strength for the journey when my strength is gone. He has an unending supply – why do I not rely on Him more?
• Assurance of His will (4:12) – As I see things happen in my life, I need to more prayerfully rely on Him for where to go and what to do. He has a will – I need to seek it! He will be faithful to lead me through and assure me that His will is where I need to be. Assurance may come before, during, or after; but my trust in His goodness should be present at every stage.
• Has a will for us (1:9; 4:12, 17) – He has laid out a story specifically for me. I need not compare my life to anyone else’s because His will for me is perfectly suited. He knows best; I must trustingly, faithfully follow.
• Finds pleasure in us (1:10) – How Christ can find pleasure in me is a beautiful mystery because I see so much imperfection. His love is boundless and unfathomable. It is humbling to remember I can please Him!
  Leader (1:1, 7) – He is the only One I need to follow. He will never fail me nor forsake me as His follower. I can trust Him!
• Enough (2:8) – This world has nothing for me, and this world has everything. Why do I so often run to people and things to find satisfaction? Christ is enough.
• Life (3:4) – I should be living my life in such a way that others know Who has given it to me. He has given me abundant life…now I need to live that life to the fullest!
• Motivation (3:17, 23) – Whatever I do, I need to do it heartily as for the Lord rather than for men or myself. It is the Lord Christ whom I must serve above any other!

And that wasn't even half of my list about Jesus! Try it yourself...read through Colossians and write down everything stated and implied about who Christ is and what He has done! You'll be amazed!