June 12, 2018 YOU HAVE DIED
Colossians 3:1-4 “If you then have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set you mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
In order for us to live the life that God has designed and to live according to the gospel, there is one inescapable, non-optional truth that cannot be ignored. This core truth stands in opposition to human nature. Even though our very nature resist this truth, we must embrace it if we are to live as God intends and if we are to experience the power of the gospel. The key that opens the door to all that God has for us is that of realizing that who we were before coming to know God as Savior, has died. The picture of baptism is that of us dying to who are and being raised up with Christ, to live in newness. I suppose it is possible for one who has been born again to revert back to who he used to be and to try to live ‘his’ own life. I also believe that often, it is a case of not coming to understand the call to die to self and the blessings that follow. As believers, our life is in Christ-not our selves. Acts 17:28 reminds us that “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” Dying to self requires faith and trust in what God has said. Dying to self is yielding everything to God. The scriptures tell us that at the point of salvation, old things pass away and we become new creations. As new creations, we are placed in Christ; as the verse above tells us, our “life is hidden with Christ in God.” The whole idea of dying to self defies logic, and as said above, it goes against human nature. Because dying to self is not a once for all deal, but a continual process, Colossians exhorts believers to keep seeking the things above and to set our minds on things above since our life is in Christ. Contrary to what we may think, dying to our self in no way lessons our life, but to the contrary, it enriches the life we live. Let us not resist giving up our way of life, because our way of life falls for short of the life that is ours in Christ Jesus. Let us live under the lordship of Christ, doing His will, representing Him in all we do, obeying His every command. Yes, if we have accepted Christ as Savior, then we have died to who we were; we now walk in newness of life, empowered and directed by the Spirit of God who lives in us! Not with reluctance, but with joy, let us day by day die to ourselves and live the life that is ours in Christ Jesus. Dying to self does not mean that we will no longer enjoy life; the ultimate joy is found in the life that God makes available to us in Christ. Take God at His word.
John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Colossians 3:1-4 “If you then have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set you mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
In order for us to live the life that God has designed and to live according to the gospel, there is one inescapable, non-optional truth that cannot be ignored. This core truth stands in opposition to human nature. Even though our very nature resist this truth, we must embrace it if we are to live as God intends and if we are to experience the power of the gospel. The key that opens the door to all that God has for us is that of realizing that who we were before coming to know God as Savior, has died. The picture of baptism is that of us dying to who are and being raised up with Christ, to live in newness. I suppose it is possible for one who has been born again to revert back to who he used to be and to try to live ‘his’ own life. I also believe that often, it is a case of not coming to understand the call to die to self and the blessings that follow. As believers, our life is in Christ-not our selves. Acts 17:28 reminds us that “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” Dying to self requires faith and trust in what God has said. Dying to self is yielding everything to God. The scriptures tell us that at the point of salvation, old things pass away and we become new creations. As new creations, we are placed in Christ; as the verse above tells us, our “life is hidden with Christ in God.” The whole idea of dying to self defies logic, and as said above, it goes against human nature. Because dying to self is not a once for all deal, but a continual process, Colossians exhorts believers to keep seeking the things above and to set our minds on things above since our life is in Christ. Contrary to what we may think, dying to our self in no way lessons our life, but to the contrary, it enriches the life we live. Let us not resist giving up our way of life, because our way of life falls for short of the life that is ours in Christ Jesus. Let us live under the lordship of Christ, doing His will, representing Him in all we do, obeying His every command. Yes, if we have accepted Christ as Savior, then we have died to who we were; we now walk in newness of life, empowered and directed by the Spirit of God who lives in us! Not with reluctance, but with joy, let us day by day die to ourselves and live the life that is ours in Christ Jesus. Dying to self does not mean that we will no longer enjoy life; the ultimate joy is found in the life that God makes available to us in Christ. Take God at His word.
John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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