Holy
Living
Colossians 3:1-6
When we are in front of other
people, sometime we pretend to be Christian. In church, we can shout
the hardest and pray the loudest. We can sing every hymn and clap at every
gospel song. We can smile and pretend we are doing just fine and there is
no need for us to go to the alter. We put our money in the pan and "know",
we did our good deed for the week.
Before reading these verses, I
started off with a prayer. I often don't do that, I just read some verses
in my Daily Bread devotional or Sunday School lesson and go about my day.
This time I prayed for the Holy Spirit to first clean my heart and I confessed
a sin that had been hounding me for weeks. It was like someone popped my
bubble, while reading I discovered my real self again as tears streamed down
my face out of no where. That real self had been un-Christian in her thoughts,
words and deeds.
You see back in biblical times,
the Israelite people always got in trouble with God. They always turned from
Him and worshiped small, insignificant gods of other cultures (read the Old
Testament books like 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles). They seemed
to forget He brought them out of slavery and gave them a "land flowing with
milk and honey." People like to see the visible, they don't want to be bothered
with the invisible. So the Israelites often used statues, golden calves,
asherah poles, etc. to replace a mighty, passionate God.
Today, we may not worship a little
statue in our living room, but idolatry takes on a different form. First,
let us define the word idolatry. Idolatry is ANYTHING that solely takes the
place of God in our lives. Look at the list given to us in Colossians - "sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:6" All of the sins listed start off as a temptation, and if
we are not careful they become a sin that overtakes our minds and
bodies.
Have you ever had a secret crush
on someone before? I have had one for quite a while now. I tried to make
excuses or even ignore the still small voice that says, "Why are you thinking
these impure thoughts?" Eventually, I would unconsciously become slack with
my prayers and bible study because I was thinking about my crush all the
time. I've come to the realization that my mind should solely be on God.
There is no need to fantasize about what could be, instead I should trust
that he will provide a God-fearing mate.
Some questions to ponder...
1. fantasize members of the opposite
sex?
2. seek revenge?
3. read a steamy romance novel?
4. listen to secular music?
5. desire to be a millionaire?
6. stay home on Sunday to sleep-in or watch a game?
Colossians 3:17 -- 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.
When you first come to Christ,
there may have been some individuals, who remember you before your conversion.
They may say statements that begin with , "I remember when you did..." As
a child of God, you know better than anyone, where God has brought you from.
Now you have to make a conscious commitment to "rid yourselves of all such
things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your
lips." These types of behavior are not acceptable in your new way of
life.
When I first read anger in the
list, I thought well I get angry sometimes. It depends on how you handle
your anger. Remember Jesus did get angry when he found the merchants selling
their goods in the temple. He was angry enough to turn the tables over and
run them out of God's house. This is a "good" type of anger. The characteristics
that make a Christian stand out from the world is how he/she handles emotions
like anger. Notice in Col. 3:8, anger is grouped with malice, slander and
filthy language. All of these grouped together make a very ugly individual,
definitely not a Christian who has committed his/her life to live each day
as Jesus would.
Have you ever met a person who
is sweet as chocolate cake (Mmmm!) on Sunday, but sour as a lemon (Ughhh!)
on Monday? I believe living HOLY is something that must work from the inside.
You can shout and dance all day in church Sunday, but how you treat your
co-worker on Monday or even your spouse/children after Sunday service is
what counts! It all comes down to the last verse shown here "there is no
Greek (gentile) or Jew" -- we are ALL children of God. He expects us to treat
each other as such. Too many people avoid churches because of the church
people or so-called Christians. What better way to witness about Jesus and
his gift to nonbelievers than to reflect the His image in our talk and
walk.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tyora
Moody is the creator of the Faithwebbin Network. Feel free to use the above
study for your personal or group bible study. For more "Edibles for the Soul"
go to:
http://www.tywebbin.com/faith/edibles/
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