October 3, 2022 HIS WAY IS BEST
Colossians 3:12-14 “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
Psalm18:30 “This God-His way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.”
“Happy is the one who sets aside selfish ambition and personal preference for God’s will and way.” I do not know who made this statement, but it is a good one for sure. After all said and done, we live either by our way or by God’s way. You think that by now man would have figured out that living according to his or her own dictates does not work out so well. Of course, man apart from God has only one choice, and that is to live according to his own understanding. For the one who knows God, he or she has the possibility of living life according to how he was designed by His Creator. It is very helpful to read God’s word, especially the New Testament, with the view of discovering our true identity; the instructions and the commands of scripture are pointers, or red flags revealing our true identity. For example, the scriptures tell us not to be anxious; when we live according to the Spirit and our new nature, we are not anxious. It is amazing that the Creator God has chosen to reveal to us His nature and then give us a new nature like His! When we understand this truth, reading His word and walking in His ways is not burdensome, but life-giving. Only in God do we find life and our true identity. The good news is that we do not have to strive at living in a way that pleases the Lord; we simply have to let His nature and His ways be expressed in us. (For an interesting study, look up all of the ‘let’ verses.) For example, the passage above, tells us to “let the peace of Christ rule in your heats.” We no longer have to respond out of frustration and anger, out of selfish desires; we no longer have to live in fear or feeling unloved; and we no longer have to live in continual conflict void of peace and purpose. We can put on our new self!! Putting on our new self is like putting on God and all of His amazing attributes. It’s all about us laying aside our old self and putting on the new self. There are many scriptures, including the ones above that instruct as to how we are to relate to one another. In relationships, whether family, friends, or work associates, conflicts will arise; when we as believers walk according to the ways of God, we can be instruments that God uses to resolve conflict, opening the door for His peace to rule. How awesome and what a blessing it is for believers to walk not according to the ways of man, but according to the ways of God!
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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