Mon 7.1 – Putting on the Ritz

Today’s Readings: Colossians 3.10-16; Ephesians 4.21-32; 2 Corinthians 5.17

Today, we are starting our next to last week in our DIRECTIONS study. We are looking at the next step in the SPIRITUAL PRESCRIPTION that God gives to believers in Colossians 3, to PUT ON the New Man, or the LORD Jesus Christ. Let’s look at the foundation we have built so far and hopefully that will help us to see how this next thought fits into the equation . . . (you didn’t know there was math in the Bible did you?)

• We saw that we are to be SEEKING and SETTING OUR AFFECTION on the THINGS ABOVE.
• We saw that we are NOT to be doing that on THINGS OF EARTH.
• We saw that the PRIMARY thing of EARTH is our BODY/FLESH
• We saw the DANGERS that come with having this BODY and how they will keep us from doing the things that will matter for ETERNITY
• We saw how to keep from being distracted, we are to MORTIFY and PUT OFF our bodies and their desires, members, etc…

Today, we build upon this foundation with this thought, Since we have PUT OFF the old man, with his deeds, his members, his ways, his deceitful lusts, and …. We are not to PUT ON the new man. We will spend the next week looking at this new man, who he is, what he is, how we put him on, and what all of that should look like in our everyday lives.

Before we get there, I think it would be a good idea to just slow down and hover in this passage from Colossians today. I have some references above, but for today they are just references, for your further thought. Today, I want us to open our Bibles, lay them beside a notepad, and make a list with me.

Find Colossians 3.8-9, and on your paper, just jot down the heading “OLD MAN”. Now put down some of the things our Bible associates with him.

Next, find Colossians 3.10-16, and make a similar list under the heading “NEW MAN”. Do not simply copy the exact words out of your Bible, read the phrases that describe the NEW MAN, and brew over them for a moment, and then write down the things that your find.

Do you see the contrast between those two MEN? Now, as we go through this passage, what we will find is that the new man, IS someone different than the old man, and the reason for these differences will be obvious. However, for today…just ask God to help you make this practical in your life. As you go to school, work, practice, home, and wherever life takes you today, look for these men in your life. Identify them, and them MORTIFY the one while you RELEASE the other. (please understand, I do not mean this is a very theological way, this is just speaking practically. The old man is ALREADY mortified, and the new man is ALREADY IN YOU, I just want us to be able to IDENTIFY them more easily so the next few days will mean more to us.)

May God bless your time with Him today. I pray that you will see God doing amazing things in your life as you begin to see the NEW MAN taking control of the body of your life! Amen.

Mon 6.1 - undressing

Today’s Readings: Colossians 3.7-9; Ephesians 4.17-32

Yesterday was a huge day of the year for Christians. It is the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord from the dead! What a great time we had in our gatherings yesterday. I believe many people were able to clearly hear a presentation of the Gospel and respond and THAT is bringing great GLORY to our RESURRECTED Lord.

In Sunday school we talked about how fitting it is this study in Colossians to fall during Easter. As we have been talking about MORTIFYING OUR FLESH, we were able to see how CHRIST LITERALLY MORTIFIED HIS FLESH on the cross. By looking at His example of dying, we are able to more fully understand Paul’s words in I Cor 15.31 where he says “I die daily.”

Now, as Sunday has come and gone and we have all been reminded of the GLORIOUS TRUTH of the RESURRECTION of Christ…and we have seen from last weeks devotions how He left us the example for MORTIFYING… let me draw your attention to another verse from our passage today…look back at Colossians 3.1, remind yourself of what this verse teaches is true about the believer, where there ARE currently wit Christ. The verse says we are RISEN WITH HIM. Risen where? When? How? The answer to all of those questions is in what we have just celebrated. We are risen to HEAVENLY places WITH Him, right now as we speak. So, now that we have that nailed down, the whole next progression of Colossians is to develop what should be different about our lives because of that truth.

We have talked about the things we spend our lives chasing after (seeking).We have talked about the things we spend our lives loving, and having a passion for (setting our affection).

We have talked about the need to kill the members (bodies) that we have on this earth to keep from seeking the things of this earth (mortify).

Today, let’s remind ourselves that if we are truly born again…truly risen…truly a child of God, there are things that should be different! We talked about the illustration yesterday in Sunday School about a McDonald’s employee coming to work dressed as a Chick-fil-a employee…how crazy would that be? You would probably lose your job pretty quickly. However, while we would all agree that showing up for work dressed like one of their greatest competitors would be a huge slap in the face to your company…so is living life as a Christian but being DRESSED in a lifestyle that is according to the OLD MAN who was crucified with Christ that the NEW MAN may live with Him…now…in heaven…resurrected.

Paul says we used to LIVE IN OUR MEMBERS ON THIS EARTH (Colossians 3.7) and when we did, we obeyed them, we were slaved to them…but now that we have that SAME POWER that raised Christ from the dead, RAISING US to be with Him, we also have the SAME POWER to mortify, or kill those, members(bodies) on the earth! As we move into this next thought from Colossians, we see God say to PUT OFF the things of those members. In Colossians 3.8-9 he gives a whole list of things that CHARACTERIZED those members we used to live according to. Look at those things…those are the kinds of things that come when we completely yield to the MEMBERS on the earth – those are some of the THIGNS OF EARTH we no longer live unto.Once that body is MORTIFIED, it is just dead weight. It’s like a huge, heavy, winter coat in the middle of the summer. It’s just hot, heavy, stinky, and limits how freely you can move around. So, why let it remain over you…just PUT IT OFF! That’s what Paul’s saying…once it’s dead, it’s just dead weight, so put it off (UNDRESS FROM THE FLESHY NATURE YOU USED TO LIVE UNTO) and now, live unto God!

Wed 4.3 – Flesh vs. Spirit

Today’s Readings: Col 3.3-7; Romans 8

As we prepare for tonight’s service, I wanted to take a lighter approach to the devotion this morning. Throughout the DIRECTIONS study, we have been talking about the DIRECTION God gives us for our everyday lives. Much of that so far has centered around the things we SEEK and the things we SET OUR AFFECTION on. That is such a big part of the Christian life that we spent a few weeks on those topics making sure they were clear and understandable. You will notice that in Col 3.3-4, God repeats some key truths as to HOW and WHY we should be seeking and setting our affection according to His plan. Then comes verse 5.

There is a major word in verse 5. We must always give attention to this word when we study our Bibles if we hope to understand it properly. The word…THEREFORE. Notice that God gives all this doctrine through chapters 1-2, and summarizes His plan for that in 3.1-4. Now in verse 5, He tells us “therefore” , or BECAUSE OF THESE TRUTHS, we are to MORTIFY or MEMBERS which are UPON THE EARTH. Let me remind you again, what was it we are not to seek and set our affection on in 3.2??? It was THINGS ON THE ERATH, right? Well that’s what verse 5 is saying about our bodies, they are THINGS ON EARTH, and rather than seeking the things that please them (as we naturally do) we are to forsake them to seek things above.

The truth of the matter is, when we MORTIFY the flesh (which we explained yesterday in 4.2) we must have strength that is not our own. I am no match for my own flesh. I am just as weak as my flesh is. I am just as feeble as my flesh is. So, how then do I overcome it? Through the Spirit! God’s spirit inside of me is a limitless supply for doing his will. That power of God residing in me, keeping me and preparing me for the redemption of my body at the return of Christ, is also in me strengthening me to live my life TODAY!

If you were going to summarize what we have learned so far in this study, it we be (1) that we need to talk to God daily about the PURSUITS AND PURPOSES of life. That’s those 4 things God said were above that we are to seek, and the 4 things we have set our affection on that cause us to seek those first 4 things. We are getting ready to step into the second major concept of the directions study, and that is (2) to talk to God daily about the passions of the body. Until we admit the needs, we will never seek the help to overcome them.

As you close your time with God today, read prayerfully through Romans 8 and ask God to show you keys to MORTIFY the flesh and to LIVE according to the Spirit. He has called you to a spirit-filled life, and God never calls you to something He doesn’t first equip you to do. You may want to use these questions as a guide:

• What is the condition to escape condemnation currently? (8.1)
• What is going to occupy your mind if you are living after the flesh? (8.5)
• What relationship to God do those who are carnally (fleshy) minded have with God? (8.7)
• Can the flesh please God, and how often? (8.
• What should cause us to groan as we wait for it? (8.22-23)
• Who’s image did God predestinate that believers should be in? (8.29)
• What can separate us from the love of Christ? (8.35, 38-39)
• How do we conquer the flesh? (8.37)

Thur 3.4 – Groaning for Greatness

Today’s Reading: Col 3.1-4; Rom 8.18,22-23, Mark 12.28-34

We had a great night last night at the Fridge. I hope that you were able to make it. Let me just go ahead and encourage you to try to make the Fridge services. It is so important that we get this whole series together as one, the Messages and the Devotions!

Today, let’s review a little bit of what we’ve done so far and step into the third thing above.

We have seen that we are to be SEEKING and SETTING OUR AFFECTION on the PERSON of God because we LOVE Him, and the WORD of God because we want to KNOW Him. Last night in the service we looked at the other 2 things God says in His Word are ABOVE, the THRONE and the FAMILY of God. Just in bringing us to where we pick up today, I want to pose a thought to you that I heard recently. Jesus said very clearly that the FIRST (most important) commandment is to LOVE GOD. And of course we know that we cannot Love God and not also be passionate about His Word. That Word is how we get to know the God we love! So, here’s the question: If loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is the greatest commandment, is NOT loving with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength the greatest sin?

In talking about our passionate love for God, these THINGS ABOVE all seem to connect. If we LOVE GOD, then we WILL want to KNOW the Word of God because it tells us more about Him. Anytime you love someone, you want to spend time with them, getting to know them. I’ll bet you’ve even gotten in trouble for staying on the phone until the wee hours of the morning talking with a friend…because you want to know them…the same is true of our love for God and desire to know Him. The next thing that will come after our desire to KNOW someone we LOVE is for us to desire to EXPRESS that love. That’s what brings us to our third thing above today…THE THRONE OF GOD.

3 men in the Bible go to heaven and talk about what they saw. All 3 saw a throne. All 3 worshipped at that throne. You see, that’s what a throne is for, to lift up the one that sits on it and to lower those who do not. When we truly begin to seek the throne of God, to see how much HIGHER He is than us. How much LOWER than Him we are. How underserved this relationship we have with God is. That’s when we will worship around that throne. That WORSHIP is just our expression of love in awe of who God is.

The kicker is that no matter how much we try here, we will always be limited in how much we can worship in this life. We have fleshy limitations that keep us from total surrender. Paul recognized that in Rom 8. Check out his words in v.22-23. He says that creation is GROANING because it cannot fully do what it was made to do – worship. That’s right, he said it was GROANING. Have you ever been really sick and just laid in bed aching, wishing you would just die and get it over with? Me too. Paul is saying that same kind of groaning, not even being able to get it into words, is how the created thing (us) is right now as we look forward to the day when we can truly be what God made us to be. Think about it, there’ll be no sin to distract us. There’ll be no sin to tarnish us, for us to idol, for Satan to use…just us and God! Until we get to the point that we LONG for that day so much that our whole being GROANS for the day we are redeemed and given pure bodies to worship our pure God, we will not worship here like we should. We will not go to the throne humble, and looking for God’s leading. We will not give ourselves completely to His plan, because there is something more important to us here…

Today, as we seek the things ABOVE, let’s seek the THRONE OF GOD, that He may be lifted up, that all others be lowered down, and that His name bring adoration, praise, love, and awe to the hearts of all his people as we worship Him today!

Tue 3.2 – Scripture Heart and Mind

Today’s Reading: Col 3.1-4; Luke 10.38-42; 15.11-32; Ps 119.17-24, 89-96

Many of you are probably not doing Monday’s devotion until Tuesday because of the glitch in my internet over the weekend. Today, we are going to look a little more at the story yesterday in Luke 10. There are some more verses for thought above, and we will mention them at the end of the devotion for further study.

Remember, over the last week or so, we are talking about SEEKING THE THINGS ABOVE and SETTING OUR AFFECTION on them from Col 3.1-2. We have discussed the 4 things God says in His Word that we are to be SEEKING and SETTING OUR AFFECTION on (the Person, Word, Throne, and Family of God – see yesterday’s study for references). We talked about how SEEKING something is to PURSUE it with everything we have. We looked at the words God chose specifically when He said we are to SET our AFFECTION on things above, meaning that we are to CHOOSE with our MIND what we are going to SEEK with our lives and thus make that the AFFECTION of our hearts. Then we began to look at some illustration of that.

Let’s take a minute and settle down into our illustration from yesterday. In Luke 10.38-42 we see the familiar story of Jesus at the house of Mary and Martha. Martha, of course, was busy rushing around the house to make sure it was clean and tidy for Jesus while serving Him and His companions. Mary, on the other hand, is sitting still at the feet of Christ listening to His every word. We have one illustration of WORK in Martha and one of WORSHIP in Mary. The WORKER is troubled that the WORSHIPPER is leaving her to do all the WORK, so she approaches Jesus and complains. His response is awesome, and something we all needed to hear yesterday. Let’s take just a minute and look deeper into the situation, maybe in a new light. . . .

Notice Martha’s complaint in verse 40. Who does she rebuke? It’s not Mary. Wouldn’t you think it would be Mary? No, she rebukes Jesus. That brings a whole new light to this story. Martha didn’t blame Mary for what she was doing. How could she. She had heard Jesus teach before. She knew His WORDS were mesmerizing. She knew anyone who would listen couldn’t help but be consumed by what He had to say. It was His WORD that was so enticing, not Mary that was so lazy. Sure, Mary loved Jesus. But so did Martha. That’s why she was so busy, working so hard, bustling about so frantically. She loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him perfectly. They both had great love for Jesus. So what was it that separated the two? If they both loved Jesus, why did Jesus say that Mary had chosen that “good part” that was “needful”? It’s because MARY was SEEKING the WORD of GOD, and SETTING HER AFFECTION on the WORD of GOD. They both were SEEKING and SETTING THEIR AFFECTION on the Person of God…Jesus Christ… there in real time. But only Mary was passionate after the WORD OF GOD, and that passion for the WORD is where she was able to bridge the gap between worker and worshipper.

Above, you will see some passages of scripture to reflect upon. Luke 15 is a great story of the REMEDY to a lost first love we looked at last week. As you read this passage, allow the spirit of God to speak to your heart about the beauty of His great love for us.

As you close your time with God today, think about MARY and MARTHA. Think about the difference between them and Mary’s passion for the WORD OF GOD (the second thing above we are to be seeking) and evaluate your own passion for it. Are you seeking it? Are you setting your affection on it? Is it so mesmerizing to you that you can’t help but stop what you are doing and listen? Look at those verses above from Ps 119. God said that King David was the MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART. Notice the love this guy had for the WORD OF GOD as you read his words in Ps 119. Wow. May God help us to seek and set our affection on the things above, and today on the WORD OF GOD.