October 17, 2021 PUT ASIDE
Colossians 3:5-8, 10 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on the account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech, from your mouth.” “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which is the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Often when someone is commenting on, or trying to justify their wrongdoing, they say something like, “That’s just the way I am wired,” or “That’s just the way I am.” It is an awesome truth to know that we can lay aside, or put off anything about our life or about our personality that is unlike God! Of course, we can only do so by the Spirit of God who lives is us-BUT we can do it! We do not have to spend our lives being ill-tempered, angry, being harsh, looking out for number one, worrying, being unkind, or whatever-thanks be to God. God has made us new creations, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” He did not refurbish us, or just make us ‘better.’ We are to grow in faith and the knowledge of God, but we have already been made new; now, it’s all about understanding and discovering who we are in Christ; about learning of our true identity as His new creations. The amazing truth is that this new self was created by God, and He created it in His likeness! That has huge implications for us; we are not God, BUT we are like Him when we walk by our new identity in Him-when we walk by the Spirit. We can think like God thinks; we can respond like God responds; and we can be pure and holy in all our behavior. 1 Peter 1:15-16. The Christian life is not about trying to improve on, or modify our behavior; it is about discovering our true identity as sons and daughters of God. We have been exposed for generations to the lie that says even though we are saved, we remain sinners who continue to sin. God has broken the power of sin and has set us free and has made us new creations who can live lives that are pleasing to Him and lives that resemble Him. ‘Trying’ to live the Christian life is frustrating, burdensome, and doomed for failure. Let us reject the lies we have heard and let us embrace who God says we are; let us lay aside whatever is unlike God, and let us put on the new self that God has created in His likeness.
1 Petr 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Colossians 2:10 “and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority.”
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 above 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.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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