A New Look

Col 3:9-10 "Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with it's practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of it's creator."

Paul is talking about the kind of people we are to be. He says we have taken off our "old self" and now have a "new self." And this new self is being renewed or remade in the image of our Creator. We are "new creations" as Paul says elsewhere. We are continually becoming more and more like Jesus.

I guess it's not enough to believe in Jesus or believe in God. If we truly are a follower of Christ we will become more like Him. Our image will begin to resemble His image. W begin to talk like Him, act like Him, love like Him, and forgive like Him. I need to remember this whole deal is not just about believing in someone or giving mental assent to some religious ideals, but rather it's all about becoming more like Jesus.

Dear Jesus, help me to daily evaluate how I "look" compared to you. Amen.

Punk'd

Col. 2:15 "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

At the time of Christ, the Roman Empire had power. They were power. They had authority. They were the authority. They had the power and authority to do what they wanted and they used that power and authority to kill Jesus. Yet Jesus had the final word. He conquered death and showed everyone who's boss. Through the cross, he disarmed all powers-the Romans, the Pharisees, and Satan himself. He made a public spectacle of them while he was hanging on the cross publicly for all to see. It was one giant episode of Punk'd where Jesus conquers death and rises from the grave and says "Gotcha!"

Jesus conquered! He had victory over death, powers, sin and Satan. Not only did He have victory, but that victory extends to me. I, through Christ am victorious over sin and Satan. I, because of Jesus, can look straight at Satan and say, "Gotcha!" He has no power or authority over me!

Dear Jesus, help me to live victoriously in all areas of my life. Amen

Better than Me

Phil 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

Paul instucts the Philippians to not be selfish and to think of others ahead of themselves. Isn't this central to the life of a Christ follower? In this chapter, Paul compares the attitude of Christ to the attitude we should have. Jesus, even though he was God, took the nature of a servant and died for us-mere mortals! Paul says we should live the same way and put others interests ahead of our own.

How often do I live like this-really? When was the last time I put someone else's interests ahead of mine? I am always looking out for three people-me, myself and I! I need to put others first and be more humble.

Dear Jesus, teach me and show me how to put others first. Help me to do this each day. Amen.

Laser Like Focus

Phil 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Paul is referring to his hardships and imprisonments. According to 2 Cor. 11:23, Paul may have experienced several periods of confinement. Paul knew suffering for the gospel's sake. Amazingly, he was able to maintain a very focused perspective throughout his trials. He says here that while he is living, it's all about Jesus, and if he dies-that's only better because he will be with Jesus.

This is my favorite verse in the Bible. I love Paul's focus. He knows what his life is to be about. He has no indecision in his mind. His life is to be all about Jesus. And no matter what that might bring him-pain, suffering, prison, even death-Paul doesn't seem to care! I love that. I hope to live as Paul did-with a laser like focus on Jesus and to not care about the details or what might happen to me.

Dear Jesus, help me to have a laser like focus on you-no matter what the consequences! Amen.

A Great Memory Verse

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."

Paul loves to talk about grace! Here he states that we are saved by grace-and not because of anything we've done. It is a gift from God. It is free. It is ours to have. It was given by God through Jesus. This is the gospel. This is the good news!

I memorized this verse when I was a boy. It's one of the most important verses in the Bible for me. It represents this great idea that God saved us from our sins, our guilt, our shame, our past, our demons-all for nothing. It was and is a free gift from him. It is a gift we have to receive, but ultimately a free gift nonetheless. When we work for something or earn it, we have a tendency to be proud of whatever it is we did. We tend to boast or feel real good about ourselves and what WE accomplished. Our salvation-the gospel-doesn't work like that. It is a free gift. So we are not to boast of ourselves but of God alone.

Dear Jesus, thank you for grace and for Ephesians! Help me to boast about you! Amen.

A Salty Heart

Proverbs 28: 13 "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

In Israel there are several important bodies of water. In the north there is the Sea of Galilea-a living, breathing, healthy, freshwater Sea teeming with life. From it, the Jordan River flows southward to the Dead Sea-a sea well below sea level with a very high salidity of over 30% which inhibits nearly any life from thriving there-hence the name "Dead Sea." Many tourists do flock here to float in it's salty waters for health benefits as well as soak up the hot sun. The Jordan River serves as an outlet for the Galilea. It takes sediment, salt and pollutants and drains them southward. The minerals and deposits wind up in the Dead Sea which has no outlet of it's own so these materials collect and create the conditions we see there today.

Just as the health of the Galilea is dependant upon the Jordan for taking away the pollutants and minerals and crud, we too need to have outlets in our lives to get rid of the junk and garbage that accumulate in our hearts. We sin and because of our sin, guilt and shame build up in our lives. We, like the Sea of Galilea, need to get rid of this junk so we can be healthy. We need to have regular times of confession and repentance to clean our souls.

Dear Lord, help me to admit my sins to others and to continually allow you to wash away the guilt and shame from my life. Amen.

Sinful Hamburger

Romans 14:23 "...and everything that does not come from faith is sin."

As the Christian church began to grow, Gentiles and Jews had to learn how to live together and how to live as followers of Christ. There was much tension between the two groups. Jews had their customs and traditions. Gentiles were new to the whole deal. Here, Paul addresses the topics of food and special days. Jews abstained from certain food and had special days of celebration according to their traditions. Many Jews expected the Gentiles to also adhere to these customs. Paul makes the case that the kingdom is not about this stuff, but rather about real issues such as joy and peace. He says whatever an individual decides about food and holidays should be done in faith-not out of guilt, peer pressure or doubt. Faith is what matters most.

God wants us to trust him and have faith in him even when we're not sure of the perfectly correct action. We so often want to look at the rules, the customs, the traditions of our past as we decide how to live our lives and we forget to use faith. I think God honors us when we trust him even when we are not sure exactly what is right. He wants us to faithfully make decisions and trust him that he will work through us. God doesn't get caught up in technicalities-although sometimes he seemed to in the Old Testament! He wants us to make up our minds and faithfully move forward and follow him. So bring on the burgers!

Dear Jesus, help me to faithfully follow you.