Wednesday October 27, 2010

Read Colossians 3:9-10

The picture of a Christian presented here is of a man who has changed his old dirty clothes and has put on new clean clothes. This newly dressed man is being renewed in the image of his creator. He is growing more and more like his creator.

To understand what’s happening, picture, if you will, a child playing in the mud. He’s dirty and messed up from head to toe. That’s the picture the Bible paints us in our old sinful condition. Our clothes were dirty. We were sinful from head to toe. But our Father has called the child in to get changed for the wedding feast that’s about to start.  But before being changed into new clean clothes he has to be bathed. You and I are washed through the work of Jesus at the cross. His death and resurrection washes us completely clean. Then and only then can we put on the clothes of righteousness. How silly it would be for the child to be dressed in new clean wedding clothes before the mud and filth are washed off! Likewise with us. We must be cleansed by faith before we can adorn the new wedding clothes of righteousness.

As the child prepares for the wedding the father warns him against playing in the mud and dirt. He must strive to keep clean and to act in a way that

befits the occasion. Have not you and I been invited to the wedding supper of the lamb? Have we not been washed by the work of Lord at Calvary? And how, like that little child do we yearn to play again in the mud and dirt of the past! But it cannot be. We will soon participate in the wedding feast and dirty clothes are not appropriate.  So the heavenly Father warns us against playing any further in the mud and dirt of our past life. Those clothes have been taken off. New clothes have been put on and we are called to act accordingly.

Prayer:-

ÿ Pray that God would convict those in your congregation who are wanting to play in the mud again. Pray that He will lovingly restore them and strengthen them so that they live appropriately. Pray for holiness to be pursued by everyone in your congregation.

Thursday October 28, 2010

Read Colossians 3:12-14

We talked about the replacement principle earlier. To help fight off temptation and sinful habits we need to replace the sinful habits with godly and righteous ones. We need to proactively and consciously take

one out of our life and put in another.

Let me encourage you to work through the list in vs 12-14 and describe each term in practical words. Describe what each word would look like in your life, personally. Think about the people that these terms are directed at. Think about how they change your words, your thoughts and your actions. Think about specific examples.

All too often we read the Bible and skim over what it will look like as we apply that passage in our lives. Don’t make that mistake any longer. Take the time and put in the effort to think deeply about today’s passage and how it applies directly to you.

Prayer:-

ÿ Select 10 people from your congregation and pray vs 12-14 into their lives. Pray it for yourself.