Out with the old…in for eternity
Colossians 3:1-4
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
We are given here in Colossians a great picture of what happens to us when we put all our trust in Jesus Christ. Paul had just finished in chapter two of Colossians discussing how once we put out trust in Christ we are no longer held captive to man-made rules concerning our spiritual well-being. This is why Paul says “If then” at the start of chapter three. He is reminding his readers once again that if you believe in Christ, you have been raised with Christ. Charles Spurgeon (prominent pastor of the 1800’s) reminds us, “The ‘if’ is used logically, not theologically: by way of argument, and not by way of doubt.” The truth is we are now free to focus on things that are above, where He, Christ, is. Paul goes on to say we are to seek things where Christ is. Rather than pursue things of this world which we cannot take with us, seek things that are heavenly and eternal.
We are also told to set our minds on things that are above. As new creatures raised with Christ, our minds should be focused on the things He is focused on. We should be setting our minds on holiness, evangelism, and bringing glory back to God. God desires all these things, even glorifying Himself. Lest you think it wrong for God to glorify Himself, what would it say about His character if He glorified something else? He can desire His own glory because He is the one true God above all other things. If we are free to desire that which is above all things in this world, why not earnestly pursue these things? Without Christ we have no idea what these marvelous things are because we are separated from God. But because of Christ’s death, we have access to our Creator and can see Him and these things that are above.
The best part of it all is that when Christ returns, we who have been raised with him will appear with him in glory. We who were once separated from Him because of our sins will get to be with Him in glory. Seek things that are above! Set you minds on things that are above! And rest knowing that if you have accepted Christ you are risen!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Mid-Week Encouragement
Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant
“His master said to Him, ‘Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” –Matthew 25:21
Last week, my father told me something that every son wants to hear, “I’m proud of you.” All I could think about after reading my Dad’s e-mail was a phrase from the Parable of the Talents (which is the verse above). In this parable found in Matthew 25, the master goes on a journey leaving his servants in charge of his property. To one servant he leaves five talents under his management, to another two talents, and to the last servant he gave one talent (basically they were entrusted with A LOT of money!). Once the master had returned, he called each servant in to return back what they had made with the money. The first servant returned ten talents back (double what was given him), the second returned four talents (again, double), but the last servant only returned the one. The last servant, out of fear, had taken what was given him and decided to bury it in the ground until the master returned. However, the other two had used what was given to them wisely and were able to return a profit to the master. So, what was the master’s response?
To the one who acted out of fear and lack of faith, the master responded by saying, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.” After being rebuked by his master, he was cast out. However, to the ones who used what they were entrusted with wisely, he responded, “Well done good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your master.”
Jesus used parables to illustrate divine truths. The truth is that if you are a follower of Christ you are entrusted with obeying God’s commands. One day, just as the master in the parable returned to his servants, God will return, judging us as His servants. Don’t you desire to hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.” As I sat in my office thinking how great it felt to her my dad say he was proud of me, I was quickly brought to tears thinking about standing before my Creator and hearing Him say these words, “Well done, enter into eternal joy with me!” Only by placing our trust in the life and work of Christ and relying on His grace alone will we ever be able to hear these words from our Master.
“His master said to Him, ‘Well done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” –Matthew 25:21
Last week, my father told me something that every son wants to hear, “I’m proud of you.” All I could think about after reading my Dad’s e-mail was a phrase from the Parable of the Talents (which is the verse above). In this parable found in Matthew 25, the master goes on a journey leaving his servants in charge of his property. To one servant he leaves five talents under his management, to another two talents, and to the last servant he gave one talent (basically they were entrusted with A LOT of money!). Once the master had returned, he called each servant in to return back what they had made with the money. The first servant returned ten talents back (double what was given him), the second returned four talents (again, double), but the last servant only returned the one. The last servant, out of fear, had taken what was given him and decided to bury it in the ground until the master returned. However, the other two had used what was given to them wisely and were able to return a profit to the master. So, what was the master’s response?
To the one who acted out of fear and lack of faith, the master responded by saying, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.” After being rebuked by his master, he was cast out. However, to the ones who used what they were entrusted with wisely, he responded, “Well done good and faithful servant…Enter into the joy of your master.”
Jesus used parables to illustrate divine truths. The truth is that if you are a follower of Christ you are entrusted with obeying God’s commands. One day, just as the master in the parable returned to his servants, God will return, judging us as His servants. Don’t you desire to hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.” As I sat in my office thinking how great it felt to her my dad say he was proud of me, I was quickly brought to tears thinking about standing before my Creator and hearing Him say these words, “Well done, enter into eternal joy with me!” Only by placing our trust in the life and work of Christ and relying on His grace alone will we ever be able to hear these words from our Master.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Mid-Week Encouragement
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” –Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord
Many times we get anxious about things in our life. We are unsure why we are in the place we are and what God is up to. We think two ways: when times are bad, we think we have brought it upon ourselves or we think we have earned what we get when times are good. Both ways of thinking fail to acknowledge God by not recognizing you are where you are because He, before you were even created, planned it this way. Not that we always do this, but the temptation to acknowledge ourselves is always there and sometimes we give into that lie.
Notice that this verse begins by telling us to trust in the Lord with ALL our heart while not leaning on our own understanding. If we are going to understand the rest of this simple proverb we must have our trust completely in the Lord and in Christ. If we blame ourselves or take credit for ourselves we aren’t fully trusting in God’s control over all of creation. Ironically, when we blame God for things, we acknowledge Him more than when we blame ourselves. Remember what God said to his prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Everything about God is on a level far above us. God is infinite, all knowing, all powerful, faithful, loving, just, unchanging, self-sufficient, and holy whereas, we are limited (finite), unfaithful, unloving, unjust, constantly changing, totally dependent upon something outside ourselves, and unholy sinners. However, by his grace He sent his son to us as a means to know and acknowledge him. While He may be far above us, we can have an intimate relationship with Him through Christ our mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 reminds us “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all…”
By placing our trust completely in Him and not ourselves, we can acknowledge that He is God and what is happening in our lives is all in His hands. Not only can we gain insight as to what is happening right now, He will guide us into tomorrow. This passage in Proverbs says that He will “make straight our paths.” God declared to the prophet Jeremiah that He knows our plans (Jeremiah 29:11) and we can find comfort in those plans when we have comfort in Christ. We can live out the plans God has for us with confidence (whether good times or bad) and we can give Him all the glory (whether good times or bad). The bottom line is finding encouragement in the truths of the gospel and applying it to our everyday lives. Be encouraged by finding your identity in Christ.
Trust in the Lord
Many times we get anxious about things in our life. We are unsure why we are in the place we are and what God is up to. We think two ways: when times are bad, we think we have brought it upon ourselves or we think we have earned what we get when times are good. Both ways of thinking fail to acknowledge God by not recognizing you are where you are because He, before you were even created, planned it this way. Not that we always do this, but the temptation to acknowledge ourselves is always there and sometimes we give into that lie.
Notice that this verse begins by telling us to trust in the Lord with ALL our heart while not leaning on our own understanding. If we are going to understand the rest of this simple proverb we must have our trust completely in the Lord and in Christ. If we blame ourselves or take credit for ourselves we aren’t fully trusting in God’s control over all of creation. Ironically, when we blame God for things, we acknowledge Him more than when we blame ourselves. Remember what God said to his prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Everything about God is on a level far above us. God is infinite, all knowing, all powerful, faithful, loving, just, unchanging, self-sufficient, and holy whereas, we are limited (finite), unfaithful, unloving, unjust, constantly changing, totally dependent upon something outside ourselves, and unholy sinners. However, by his grace He sent his son to us as a means to know and acknowledge him. While He may be far above us, we can have an intimate relationship with Him through Christ our mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 reminds us “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all…”
By placing our trust completely in Him and not ourselves, we can acknowledge that He is God and what is happening in our lives is all in His hands. Not only can we gain insight as to what is happening right now, He will guide us into tomorrow. This passage in Proverbs says that He will “make straight our paths.” God declared to the prophet Jeremiah that He knows our plans (Jeremiah 29:11) and we can find comfort in those plans when we have comfort in Christ. We can live out the plans God has for us with confidence (whether good times or bad) and we can give Him all the glory (whether good times or bad). The bottom line is finding encouragement in the truths of the gospel and applying it to our everyday lives. Be encouraged by finding your identity in Christ.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Mid-Week Encouragement
The Truth of Calvary
“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!” –Psalm 79:9
Narcissism. We may not have all heard this term, but we have all been infected, yes infected, as well as affected by it. This term “narcissism” comes from a character in Greek mythology that was extremely handsome, named Narcissus. As the story goes, Narcissus looked into a pool of water and fell in love with his own reflection. He could not stop admiring himself and wasted away his life staring into this pool, eventually turning into a flower. Narcissus was obviously a fictitious character, but whoever created him understood just how self-centered we as human beings are. Today, narcissism is defined as an inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; or vanity.
This verse, Psalm 79:9 is just one of many verses in Scripture which points to giving God the glory; making God bigger and us lesser. I like this verse because it says “for your name’s sake!” The Psalmist is asking God to save him not for his own sake, but for God’s sake. He wants God to get ALL the glory. Where has this idea gone today?!
Take a second to think about what you hear about Jesus in a normal day. Turn on the radio, open your email account or turn on the television and you are bound to hear things like: “Jesus thought about you on the cross” “Follow Jesus and good things will happen in your life” or my favorite one “Forward this email to 10 people and God will cause things to work in your favor!” This is what narcissism has done to us. We are so self-centered we fail to recognize the truth of Calvary; Jesus’ death on the cross was ALL about glorifying God and executing Christ’s perfect obedience to his Father.
It feels good to think that Jesus thought about me on the cross (narcissism), but it feels infinitely better knowing all He could think about was pleasing His Father. What Jesus did on Calvary was His own choice. He could have easily avoided it, but He endured it. Please do not miss how great this is! Don’t be like Narcissus and waste away your life looking at the cross thinking it was about you. Be like Jesus and give all of yourself to God’s glory. As the apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:20, “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
Stay Encouraged.
“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake!” –Psalm 79:9
Narcissism. We may not have all heard this term, but we have all been infected, yes infected, as well as affected by it. This term “narcissism” comes from a character in Greek mythology that was extremely handsome, named Narcissus. As the story goes, Narcissus looked into a pool of water and fell in love with his own reflection. He could not stop admiring himself and wasted away his life staring into this pool, eventually turning into a flower. Narcissus was obviously a fictitious character, but whoever created him understood just how self-centered we as human beings are. Today, narcissism is defined as an inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; or vanity.
This verse, Psalm 79:9 is just one of many verses in Scripture which points to giving God the glory; making God bigger and us lesser. I like this verse because it says “for your name’s sake!” The Psalmist is asking God to save him not for his own sake, but for God’s sake. He wants God to get ALL the glory. Where has this idea gone today?!
Take a second to think about what you hear about Jesus in a normal day. Turn on the radio, open your email account or turn on the television and you are bound to hear things like: “Jesus thought about you on the cross” “Follow Jesus and good things will happen in your life” or my favorite one “Forward this email to 10 people and God will cause things to work in your favor!” This is what narcissism has done to us. We are so self-centered we fail to recognize the truth of Calvary; Jesus’ death on the cross was ALL about glorifying God and executing Christ’s perfect obedience to his Father.
It feels good to think that Jesus thought about me on the cross (narcissism), but it feels infinitely better knowing all He could think about was pleasing His Father. What Jesus did on Calvary was His own choice. He could have easily avoided it, but He endured it. Please do not miss how great this is! Don’t be like Narcissus and waste away your life looking at the cross thinking it was about you. Be like Jesus and give all of yourself to God’s glory. As the apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:20, “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen!”
Stay Encouraged.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Mid-Week Encouragement
4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. –Galatians 4:4-7
Recently, my Pastor went on a mission trip to Uganda. One day while visiting an orphanage, my Pastor and his wife got to do something very special. The police had brought in a baby earlier that someone had found in a trash can covered with trash and they (my Pastor’s group) were asked to name the baby. As they stood there “stunned” (as my Pastor described it) his wife spoke up and suggested they name him Samuel, because in Scripture Samuel was dedicated unto the Lord. So now this baby who was left alone and unnamed has a good name to be called by as he grows up.
This story struck my heart very hard because all I could think about was how baby Samuel’s story relates to us. Sure most likely none of us were literally left in a trashcan to die alone unnamed, but we were all at one point (or still are if you haven’t accepted Christ) separated from God. To put it more simply, we ourselves were orphans. But thankfully, as this week’s passage says, “God sent forth his son…so that we might receive adoption as sons.” As hard as it may be to accept, we were dirty and covered in the trash of our own sin and our trashcan was our own state apart from God. We deserve in every way to still be orphans, which is what makes God’s grace that much more amazing. But God accepts us as His sons and we become His heirs.
Without being adopted we would have no inheritance, but God puts his Spirit into our hearts, freeing us from the slavery of sin, and making us a son. The Apostle Paul uses the word Son because a Son, in Biblical days, was the one who received the inheritance. Had he actually wrote sons and daughters (as some translations write), he would have had some confused readers. We must understand the difference to properly grasp exactly what is being said.
Take the orphanage that baby Samuel is in as an example. It is full of boys because families would rather adopt daughters to receive dowry (money from the groom’s family) as opposed to adding another heir to the family inheritance. I am so thankful that God’s ways are higher than ours, and we who have been adopted in are all treated the same, as SONS, and we can share in His mighty inheritance. Whether you are a fellow Brother or Sister in Christ, I look forward to receiving God’s inheritance with you!
Recently, my Pastor went on a mission trip to Uganda. One day while visiting an orphanage, my Pastor and his wife got to do something very special. The police had brought in a baby earlier that someone had found in a trash can covered with trash and they (my Pastor’s group) were asked to name the baby. As they stood there “stunned” (as my Pastor described it) his wife spoke up and suggested they name him Samuel, because in Scripture Samuel was dedicated unto the Lord. So now this baby who was left alone and unnamed has a good name to be called by as he grows up.
This story struck my heart very hard because all I could think about was how baby Samuel’s story relates to us. Sure most likely none of us were literally left in a trashcan to die alone unnamed, but we were all at one point (or still are if you haven’t accepted Christ) separated from God. To put it more simply, we ourselves were orphans. But thankfully, as this week’s passage says, “God sent forth his son…so that we might receive adoption as sons.” As hard as it may be to accept, we were dirty and covered in the trash of our own sin and our trashcan was our own state apart from God. We deserve in every way to still be orphans, which is what makes God’s grace that much more amazing. But God accepts us as His sons and we become His heirs.
Without being adopted we would have no inheritance, but God puts his Spirit into our hearts, freeing us from the slavery of sin, and making us a son. The Apostle Paul uses the word Son because a Son, in Biblical days, was the one who received the inheritance. Had he actually wrote sons and daughters (as some translations write), he would have had some confused readers. We must understand the difference to properly grasp exactly what is being said.
Take the orphanage that baby Samuel is in as an example. It is full of boys because families would rather adopt daughters to receive dowry (money from the groom’s family) as opposed to adding another heir to the family inheritance. I am so thankful that God’s ways are higher than ours, and we who have been adopted in are all treated the same, as SONS, and we can share in His mighty inheritance. Whether you are a fellow Brother or Sister in Christ, I look forward to receiving God’s inheritance with you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)