What Are You Wearing Today?

5 "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication,uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in the knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is nether Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all." - Colossians 3: 5-11

This is Paul calling the Colossians (and by extension of God's providence; us) to action.We are not mindless, empty puppets, but people who have choice. By the very presence of original sin, we are bent away from God, but solely by His power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are given the ability to turn back to God. And this is exactly what Paul is calling us to. For each of us, to "put to death" is a daily necessity. It is a deliberate act to choose the things above (Ch3, v1) and to choose to turn away from what our sinful hearts want. If, in order to make that choice, you require another reason other than that you will become more Christ-like, Paul reminds us of the coming consequence for those that continue to chose to follow their earthly desires.

And before we become too smug with how well we are doing in the act of daily choosing God, Paul reminds us, that each and everyone of us, once lived as "sons of disobedience". This is not a slap down, or a statement to put us in our proper place, but a gentle reminder that we once were separated from God. Yet by His sovereign grace, He chooses to call us His children, and in so doing so, gives us absolutely nothing to boast in, save Him and the Cross. As His children, who have died to self and been raised to life in Christ (Rms 6:4-6), we are now to leave behind and not continue to put on the disobediences we did before Christ. We are now to put on Jesus; and be renewed and recreated in the likeness of Him.

Once we have been raised in Christ, we no longer should segregate ourselves, or identify ourselves by anything other than Christ. We are now His children-heirs to the Kingdom- having been adopted under the Blood of Jesus Christ. The national, physical, social, and economic categories that the world says separate us are no longer to corral us, but we are held together, set apart and sustained by Christ.

Father God, what I see in Your Word is not what I see in this world. Help us to read, and understand Your Word. Let it not stop with the understanding, but let that understanding become practice; help us live by Your Word and not the suggestion of the world. We are lacking Father and we in the church desperately need You. Raise up leaders and examples; teachers who will call us back to You; for there is no other way I'd rather live.  Thank You, my King, for the second chances You give us. May we not squander them. In Your Son's Holy Name; Amen.