Sunday, June 04, 2006

So I got up today, and we got ready to go to church, and Tyson called to say he had the car seats in his truck. So we listened to some sermons on the radio, and I had my own praise and worship time. I have been studying Colossians Chapter 3 for the past two weeks, and it's really good. So I was suprised (but I should'nt have been) to hear a sermon today on Colossians 3. I so struggle with faith, not my faith in Jesus, just my lack of it in Him. It's so hard to just trust.....and believe.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

We are to set our hearts and minds on things above. "Set" means to "seek or strive for earnestly". I look at that and think, Do I do that? Am I living a life that shows that I am continually setting my mind on Christ? Oh, and there I am saddend and brought to my knees is humility as I humbly realize I am so far from it.

My commentary says "Knowing that all wisdom is in Christ (col.2:1-5), Paul urged the Colossian Christians to continue in Him(Christ)(col.2:6-7), not being decieved by vain philosophies(col.2:8-10). Since believers are indentified with Christ, they are not to live under Jewish laws(col. 2:11-17), for that would only rob them of their rewards(col.2:18-19). They have died with Christ and hence need not sumbit to legalistic rules(col.20-23)."
"Furthermore, they have also been raised with Christ. So they should set their hearts on heavenly things (col. 3:1-4). "
When I am in Christ, and setting my mind on spiritual values, I will be putting to death all the parts of me that still desire to be part of worldly things. When I seek the values and virtues of Christ, I will be putting off the sins of the old life and be putting on the virtues and values of the new life (my new life in Christ). As my commentary puts it: "This in turn should affect their relationships with other members of their families and society."

Wow. Do I do that? Is my relationship with Christ something everyone sees? Or do they see something fake? Even more so do my children see a faith that is strong? Or do they see mommy lose control? Do they see me thanking God for everything? Or do they see me complaining or grumbling about what I don't have? Will they one day say that I was so in love with Christ that it showed in everything I did? Or will they rebel in their teen years saying that I talked the talk but never walked the walk?

The pastor at my old church has a fantastic saying, one I have memorized, because it is something I so struggle with. It comes from the verses in Ep. 4:22-24 that say "You were taught, with regard to you former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by it's deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of you minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true rightousness and holiness."

His saying is this " God wants me to be changing, to be more like His son, by putting off my old self, and putting on my new self, as a result of renewed thinking."

Lord, I thank you for bringing these truths to me again. Help me to seal them in my heart, and to meditate on them. I pray that I would put away my desires to please other people and that I would begin to instead follow and please you. I pray that whatever it is that you would have me to do here in the place that I am, that I would obey you, and that you would grow me and help me to change to be more like you. I pray that my children would see someone in love with you. And that they would in turn love and cherish you. I thank you that you have the ability and the power to change me, and that you also are there to comfort and hold me when I fail, and you pick me back up and dust me off and say "come on, let's try it again." Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen