Tue 8.2 – Capping it off

Today’s Readings: Colossians 3.10-17; John 14.13,15.16,16.26;

As we draw towards the end of our study through Colossians 3, I want to remind you of where we came from. What was it we learned so much about in verses 1-2? It was seeking the THINGS ABOVE, and setting our affection on THEM. It was also NOT seeking the things of earth, and setting our affection on them. We then learned that there are a few things that we are clearly identified in Scripture as above… those things were:

the PERSON of God

the WORD of God

the THRONE of God

the FAMILY of God

Now, underneath those categories, we could really see a few more things identified above – the saints who have gone before (Judges 1.14), new Jerusalem (Rev 21.2), but we do not have time to explore every little breakdown of that today.

Now remember that we are to SEEK those things. So, if your mind is constantly preoccupied with the things above, then will that not effect our actions? If our hearts are constantly falling deeper and deeper in love with those things above, then will that not also effect our actions?

You see, God is about to discuss our interactions as husbands and wives, children and parents, servants and masters, and basically cover every type of social relationship. But, before all of that, He summarizes this truth of Colossians by simply saying, “no matter what you do, even down to your very words and deeds, do it all as if you were doing it on Christ’s behalf!” And I just think that if we could get that simple truth, all of those relationships He mentions next would take care of themselves.

Guys, I can’t tell you how much this truth has revolutionized my world in these last 8 weeks. Seeking the things above – the things God is concerned with, the things He decides to be in the presence of, the things He is seeking! Setting my affection on those same things – not on a new Mac, not on a better car, not on popularity, not on music or trends, but on those timeless things where He is. If I would just do that, and NOT seek and set my affection on the things that pertain to this earth (things of my body, and the world system) then I will find that abundant life He mentions in John 10.10.

You may want to check out 2 Corinthians 5.17-21 and see how God described our living for Him…it is as if we are here in Christ’s stead, or in His place! Wow. Those are HUGE shoes to fill! I realize things OF this earth will never fill them, only the things above!

That’s why the verses in our daily readings today talk about answered prayers. When we are praying in accordance with His will and in submission to His way, of course our prayers will be answered, because they will be set to His plan!

Isn’t it amazing how God brings this stuff all back to where we started at??? Praise Him today! Amen.

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.

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.

Mon 3.1 – Seeking and Setting

Today’s Reading: Col 3.1-4; Luke 10.38-42; Mark 12.28-34

Sorry. Something happened with my internet connection yesterday as I was trying to publish the devotion. It locked down and I lost everything I’d typed. So today, I will try to replicate yesterday’s devotion as well as today’s…although I must say it will be less than exact L.

In Sunday school we talked about God’s remedy to return to that FIRST LOVE kind of love. God said there were three easy steps, REMEMBER, REPENT, & REPEAT. We then took three passages of Scripture and saw how God illustrated that in His word.

Today, let’s take the next step into our study in Colossians and see how one of those stories illustrates our next point as well. We have been talking about SEEKING the THINGS ABOVE from Col 3.1, and we noted that the THINGS ABOVE are (1) The PERSON of God (I Jn 5.7), (2) the WORD of God (PS 119.89), (3)the THRONE of God (Rev 4, Isa 6), and (5) the FAIMLY of God (Eph 3.14-15). Those are the THINGS God says are ABOVE in His word. Those are the THINGS we are to be SEEKING with our lives, chasing after with all that we have.

Everyone understands the word SEEK don’t we? Sure, that’s easy…things can get a little confusing on the next one though…God says to “set your affection on things above”(3.2). So, the natural question everyone has is “how do I do that?” But, it may be simpler than you think. When you are in your house and it is very hot, if you want to change the environment in your house where do you go and what do you SET? Right, you go over to the wall and SET the thermostat to get the A/C running. If you are watching TV when another show comes on you want to see, you SET the TV to a different channel. When you SET something you are simply adjusting it so that the object it controls, changes. Now, God says in that same way we are to SET our AFFECTION on the THINGS ABOVE. We are to adjust our AFFECTION so that it’s desires are towards the THINGS God said were above.

Let’s make sure we all understand what we mean by AFFECTION as well. When the Scripture uses that word, sometimes it is translated mind. Your study Bible might even tell you that this word may mean mind. However, God specifically chose the word AFFECTION here. The connection is that our AFFECTION, the things that we are PASSIONATELY IN LOVE WITH in our lives will be connected to what we CHOOSE in our MINDS. We SET the temperature of our AFFECTION through the thermostat of our MIND.

To close our time with God today, let’s look at the story of Jesus at Mary and Martha’s house in Luke 10. Answer these questions and ask yourself which is true for you: Where is Mary’s affection set? Where is Martha’s? Do they both love God? Why can we say they both loved Him? Does Jesus rebuke Martha for serving Him? Where does Jesus put the priority? Where do we? What does Jesus say Mary had done that Martha hadn’t, that involved her mind, and her decision to SET her affection? What have you chosen?

2.6 – The Rest of the Remedy

Today’s Readings: Col 3.1-4; Rev 2.1-7, 4.1-11; I Jn 5.7; Ps 119.89; Isa 6; Eph 3.14-15

Today we will be looking at the conclusion of God’s REMEDY to LOSING our FIRST LOVE from Rev 2.5. Before we get there, let’s remember one thing. Sometimes, the REMEDY leaves an AWFUL TASTE in our mouth. Just because it is good for us does not mean it won’t taste like we are drinking motor oil in the process. Just as that is true of physical remedies like cough syrup, often the same is true of spiritual remedies. Isn’t that the way it usually is, the things that are the best for us are the things that are the hardest to go through?

We’ve seen before that the first step God gives us in returning to our FIRST LOVE is to (1) REMEMBER where we’ve fallen from, which has been the focus of our devotions for the last 2 days.

The next step in God’s remedy for our situation, is to (2) REPENT. Now if there was ever a term we American Christians do not like to hear, it is REPENT! We don’t like to be told we are wrong, and that we need to change something. Do you remember when John the Baptist appeared on the scene in John 1-3? His message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” What he was saying, is that the Kingdom God had been promising was just around the corner, and in order for people to prepare to enter that kingdom, they need to REPENT from their way, and TURN to God’s way. There is a connection between REPENTING and TURNING that we cannot overlook. To REPENT from something simply means that we TURN AWAY from that thing, and TURN TOWARD it’s opposite. For example, if I wanted to REPENT from going south on the highway, I would bust a U-turn and head NORTH. That is as simple as it gets. God is telling us that the next thing we need to do, once we REMEMBER where we came from and REALIZE the new (incorrect) direction in which we are headed, we simply TURN BACK to that original direction, that FIRST LOVE.

The last, and very simple step that God gives us is (3) REPEAT. I actually like the words He uses much better, but we use that for alliteration. God’s words to them are, “DO THE FIRST WORKS” which means to DO THE WORKS you did when you FIRST were in LOVE with God. That’s pretty short and sweet isn’t it? In our culture, this is a concept we seem to lose in the mix most times, the JUST DO IT factor that is. I can remember my father teaching me as a young man that, “…sometimes you just have grit your teeth and get through it…” That is so true. There are things in life that are hard, that are no fun, and that you wish were different, but that doesn’t change the facts. And truly, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth, roll up your sleeves, and get to work. The easy thing to do is for us to stop before STEP 3. We REMEMBER what it was like “back then” and we mentally REPENT of the ways we have chosen since then, only to fall short of actually REPEATING or DOING THOSE FIRST WORKS AGAIN. I pray this will not be the case with us today. I pray God will give us the discipline we need to JUST DO IT, and move on our way getting back to Him.

To conclude today, let’s take those steps to the REMEDY and apply them to what we learned are the “THINGS ABOVE” Wednesday night. Here are those four things again, and then there will be a fill-in-the-blank below to help guide us in our evaluation of our spiritual temperature this morning…

1. The Person of God (I Jn 5.7)
2. The Word of God (Ps 119.89)
3. The Throne of God (Isa 6, Rev 4)
4. The Family of God (Eph 3.14-15)

Now, let’s evaluate for the REMEDY just fill in the blanks with the four THINGS ABOVE listed here…

“How was my love for the _____ of God when I was first saved? (REMEMBER) What is in my life today that keeps me from having that same kind of first love for the _____ of God, and what do I need to turn away from in order to get back there? (REPENT) What can I do today to show that I am serious about loving and seeking the ____ of God? (REPEAT)”