August 1, 2019
For full passage click: Colossians 3:1-7 …“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” vs. 1
Sometimes followers of Jesus are reluctant to tell others that their lives need to change, that what they are doing is destructive to themselves and to others. Paul had no such difficulty as he dealt with his brothers and sisters in Christ. He wholeheartedly believed that those who have attached themselves to Christ have been raised to new life, not only in ages to come, but now, in the present. For Paul, that meant speaking and acting in ways that were different from the ways of the world. He advised his readers to put to death things like fornication, evil desire, greed, and impurity. He told them bluntly to change the way they were living. It’s hard to be that assertive—we don’t like to be judgmental, and we don’t want to be offensive. So we say nothing, hoping that people will think we are nice! But Paul is right! Those who are in Christ should look different. After all, those who observe us should be seeing Jesus in the flesh! It would be nice if that transformation just happened, that the new person would emerge automatically like a butterfly from a chrysalis. But that’s seldom the case. Most of the time the new birth is traumatic and painful. Always discipline will be involved, and many of us will need the loving direction of our personal Paul. What a blessing it is to hear the truth about who we are and what we need to change!
Thought for the Day: Who has been a “personal Paul” to me?
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