Category: Colossians

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New Life

Our granddaughter shared a post yesterday. She is 37 weeks, almost to her due date. We are so excited – she is about to give birth to our second great granddaughter!

I remember those days of being an expectant mother. I wanted everything to be perfect. As I sat here thinking about those days and my emotions, the excitement is fresh in my mind. Wanting the best for them – little outfits to wear, everything perfect in the nursery, what to feed them, and who they would grow up to be.

I’m so blessed by their lives and by the Lord’s faithfulness to them. Thinking on all of this I was reminded of a teaching I did years ago on our spiritual birth and how God planned it all.

Our heavenly Father prepared for our arrival.

Read the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3 – you must be born again. Then look at the question Nicodemus asked Jesus.

“Don’t be surprised that I told you, ‘You must be born again.’…9 Nicodemus asked, “How is all this possible?” …16 Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world. He did not send him to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him.” John 3:7-17 ERV

From the time of Adam’s sin in the garden, the Father began planning for our arrival with great expectation. He sent His Son to bring spiritual birth to all of those on the earth.

He planned what we would wear.

“You have taken off those old clothes—the person you once were and the bad things you did then. 10 Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him. ” Colossians 3:9-10 ERV

“Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks.” Ephesians 6:11 ERV

He also planned what we should eat and drink.

“Then Jesus said, ‘I am the bread that gives life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who believes in me will ever be thirsty.'” John 6:35 ERV

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14 But anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give people will be like a spring flowing inside them. It will bring them eternal life.’” John 4:13-14 ERV

And then He planned for all of life’s other necessities as well.

“Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” Matthew 6:31-33 ERV

The Father has meticulously planned for our every need. His plan is perfect. Our responsibility is to trust Him and make relationship with Him our top priority.

He has given us new life!

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Out of Balance

The first of our three youngest grandchildren woke up about 30 minutes ago. She wanted to cuddle on the couch with me; 15 minutes ago Dave and the 2nd grandchild got up. She was cold and needed under the blanket. Still one grandchild, the boy, is sleeping upstairs in the loft.

It makes my morning a bit out of the norm. Quiet time cut short, coffee just getting made but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Just that things happen a little later than normal. But whether it’s routine or a break in routine God is always the same.

Practical.

God is practical. Everything He does has balance. Gravity, sunrise, sunset, changing seasons; earth, sky and water created before fish, plants and animals. Sun produces light and heat, the moon reflects light and no heat. Balance.

What’s out of balance and impractical about God is His unconditional love!

It doesn’t matter what we do or don’t do, God’s love for us will be the same. (Now that doesn’t mean He approves of everything we do, not in the slightest but He always loves us.)

People won’t go to hell because God hates them. They will go because they don’t accept His gift of love and His sacrifice for them.

Since we have Christ living in us it’s His love that should be flowing out of us.

” Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful…17 Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” Colossians 3:14-17 ERV

The most important thing we can do is love each other. Love brings us to a place of peace. When we love we know that we have done all God has asked of us and God will do the rest. When we trust God to do what only He can do we can be thankful because He definitely has the talent and capability of handling His part.

We love not because those around us deserve our love but because God first loved us and so we can extend that love to others. It makes our Father happy to see us acting like Him.

I’m not asking you to go out and love the whole world, but I am asking that you extend God’s love to your co-worker, your neighbor, your child or spouse or sibling. Love unconditionally the way God loves you.

Now I’m off to love on some sweet grandkids.

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Keep Doing Right

Do you know how often I stop to pray for you?

Of course, it’s always first thing in the morning when the Lord fills my heart with what He wants to share but it’s also during the day when I am impressed with how blessed I am to be able to share God’s love with you each day.

I can relate with the Apostle Paul and his greeting to the Christians in the church of Philippi. I will probably never meet many of you this side of heaven, but I hold you in my heart and my prayers.

“ Every time I think of you, I thank my God. 4 And whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes me happy. 5 This is because you have taken part with me in spreading the good news from the first day you heard about it. 6 God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

7 You have a special place in my heart. So it is only natural for me to feel the way I do. All of you have helped in the work God has given me, as I defend the good news and tell about it here in jail. 8 God himself knows how much I want to see you. He knows I care for you in the same way Christ Jesus does.

9 I pray that your love will keep on growing and you will fully know and understand 10 how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, 11 Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.” Philippians 1:3-11 CEV

Growing and making the right choices.

What are the right choices? I’m so glad you asked.

“Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful…17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.” Colossians 3:15-17 CEV

Remember a few years ago when people were wearing those bracelets, WWJD? That’s a good way to do right. But this just wasn’t a new concept that Paul was teaching. No, God had put it in place thousands of years before. This is what Moses said:

“ You must be sure to obey the commands of the Lord your God. You must follow all the teachings and laws he has given you. 18 You must do what is right and good—what pleases the Lord. Then everything will go well for you, and you can go in and take the good land that the Lord promised your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 6:17-18 ERV

Solomon said this: “Doing what is right and fair pleases the Lord more than an offering.” Proverbs 21:3 CEV

And Isaiah recorded this: “ The Lord said these things, ‘Be fair to all people. Do what is right, because soon my salvation will come to you. My goodness will soon be shown to the whole world.‘” Isaiah 56:1 ERV

“When people live to please the Lord, even their enemies will be at peace with them.” Proverbs 16:7 ERV

Doing what is right is good; we will never go wrong making the right choices. We may be misunderstood by those around us; we may even be judged unfairly. But, when our heart is right before God, we please Him and that’s more than enough!

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Whatever…

In modern communication that one word garners an attitude of disrespect and rudeness. However, I would like to redirect our thinking.

“Whatever work you do, do it with all your heart. Do it for the Lord and not for men. 24 Remember that you will get your reward from the Lord. He will give you what you should receive. You are working for the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 NLV

Whatever is all inclusive; nothing is left outside of its scope. When we follow Christ, we need to embrace the whatever. He is our example and we are called to be like Him.

“You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving…Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.” Psalm 145:8,17-18 CEV

In whatever we do we should be kind and loving. Oh my! I’m preaching to myself this morning.

There are times when I’m tired, frustrated and downright cranky. There are times when I want to issue a “whatever” in a sarcastic manner and it’s in those moments that I hear the voice of God in my heart reminding me that whatever I chose to do, I need to represent Him.

One word, the same word, can be spoken with kindness or with selfishness.

“And Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us. 16 We are careful not to judge people by what they seem to be, though we once judged Christ in this way. 17 Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.” II Corinthians 5:15-18 CEV

It’s our assignment to show God’s love and His desire to bring peace to those we encounter each day. Whatever we do will be a service to Him who gave us new life.

I’m talking to myself now. I don’t have this mastered, yet!

“Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 CEV

I encourage you to make “whatever” your word of the day. Whatever is kind and loving, whatever is friendly and true. Whatever we do, do all to God’s glory!

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The Miracle of Love

This morning, I was praying for creativity. You see Dave and I just bought a tiny home, a park model, and we have 399 sq ft to make entirely our own. Yesterday it arrived; the first time we had seen it other than in pictures.

We spent a couple of hours measuring room sizes, the closet, height of the bar, cabinets, etc. Everything will need to fit into this space. Hence my prayer for creativity.

Who better to ask for creative ideas than the Creator of all things?

“I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place. 4 Then I ask, ‘Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?’ 5 You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:3-5 CEV

This prayer brought a song to mind. Over the years I have memorized hundreds of lyrics and I love when my heart begins to flood with song and the Lord uses those words to reinforce His word to my heart.

It Took A Miracle
My Father is omnipotent
And that you cant deny;
A God of might and miracles;
‘Tis written in the sky.
Refrain
It took a miracle to put the stars in place;
It took a miracle to hang the world in space.
But when He saved my soul,
Cleansed and made me whole,
It took a miracle of love and grace!
3
The Bible tells us of His power
And wisdom all way through;
And every little bird and flower
Are testimonies, too

My Father is omnipotent – all powerful and He’s omniscient – all knowing. Every little bird and flower are testimonies of His greatness. The intricate details of creation are a testimony to God’s power and design. He is a God of order and not of chaos.

“He renews our hopes and heals our bodies. 4 He decided how many stars there would be in the sky and gave each one a name. 5 Our Lord is great and powerful! He understands everything.” Psalm 147:3-5 CEV

What I’ve learned about the Father down through the years is that He is concerned with what concerns us. He doesn’t want us confused, worried or frustrated. He wants our lives to be filled with peace and wisdom.

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.” James 1:5 CEV

“Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.” Colossians 3:15 CEV

He truly desires for us to have wisdom in all our decisions.

“On this earth four things are small but very wise: 25 Ants, who seem to be feeble,
but store up food all summer long;…” Proverbs 30:24-25 CEV

He gives the ants wisdom and instinct to preserve their lives, so you know He cares for us and our circumstances.

Whether it’s how to best use a small space, a grocery list, a career path, raising children, financial advice, or which medical provider and procedure is best God has the answer.

When we ask for wisdom, He gives it freely. It’s a miraculous provision of His love and grace!

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There’s A Void

…without Him

My thoughts this morning focused on one thing – I found it in the first few verses of Genesis.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said…” Genesis 1:1-3 KJV

No form – there was darkness and a void until God spoke. Those few words can describe everyone who is reading this. There’s a darkness and a void but God isn’t content to leave us that way. He desires to fill the void.

God spoke and there was light. God separated the light from the dark so we would have time to rest and time to flourish. He spoke and land separated from the waters; the earth teamed with life of every sort and the things God created He called good. When He created humanity, He called it very good.

He speaks and worlds change. He speaks and lives are transformed. It’s the power of God’s word that creates.

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV

John, the Apostle, called Jesus the Word. His very existence here on earth was the Word of God being accomplished. Our lives prosper because of Him.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8 NKJV

We were without strength but God stepped in to fill the void with His love. When God speaks things change. Power and life replace the weakness.

“Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him…9 For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. 10 When you have Christ, you are complete. He is the head over all leaders and powers.” Colossians 2:7-10 NLV

“The church is Christ’s body. It is filled with him. He makes everything complete in every way.” Ephesians 1:23 ERV

Because of Christ the void is filled, and we are complete in Him.

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Choosing Sides

To say I wasn’t very athletic as a kid is an understatement. I was quite often the last one chosen when the neighborhood was picking teams for the softball game. One time when we were teaming up my brother chose me, I was on cloud nine. He was the best at baseball, and he chose me when he could have picked a better player.

I can still remember how special I felt!

How much better is the feeling we get when we know that God has chosen us?

“It doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12  God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient.” Colossians 3:11-12 CEV 

It doesn’t matter our nationality, our station in life, our education or our financial standing; what’s important it that Christ died for all of us. He is what matters. God loves us and has chosen us to be His own.

Now the question is do we choose Him?

“All of you nations, come praise the Lord!  Let everyone praise him. 2 God’s love for us is wonderful; his faithfulness never ends.  Shout praises to the Lord!” Psalm 117 CEV

His love is wonderful and His faithfulness to us never ends. Never! Not ever? No, Never!

“Tell the Lord how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful…5 When I was really hurting, I prayed to the Lord. He answered my prayer, and took my worries away.
6 The Lord is on my side, and I am not afraid of what others can do to me. 7 With the Lord on my side, I will defeat my hateful enemies. 8 It is better to trust the Lord for protection than to trust anyone else, 9   including strong leaders.” Psalm 118:1,5-9 CEV

Choosing sides? It is better to have the Lord on our side than anyone else. When we side with the Lord we are on the winning side. He has chosen us; it’s up to us to make Him the captain and Lord of our days.

“What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us?” Romans 8:31 CEV

Remember what I said about my brother choosing me to be on his team? It would have been silly for me to try and tell him how to play the game. He was the expert baseball player, not me.

In life, it’s better for us to trust the expert. The One who has faced every temptation and won.

“Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

“It is better to trust the Lord , He will take away all of our worries” – He’s on our side, we’ve been chosen!

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Standing on the Rock

Yesterday while we were watching the morning news there was an earthquake on the East Coast. It wasn’t a big quake by any means, but it left the news anchors startled and quite literally shaken.

Maybe you are like me and some mornings when you wake up you feel unsteady, a bit shaken, something is unsettled inside. Sometimes there’s no explanation for this uneasy feeling, it’s just there. Other times it can be caused by underpinning of fear or just the unknown.

Just like those tremors and earthquakes, this emotional and spiritual tremor is unwelcomed. The question comes how do we deal with it.

“I love you, Lord God, and you make me strong. 2 You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter. 3 I praise you, Lord! I prayed, and you rescued me from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3 CEV

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3 CEV

Jesus knew that the times He lived in were tumultuous. The Jews were being ruled by the Romans. They were subject to a foreign ruler; taxes were high, there was civil unrest and the religious leaders were separated into two different sects. Life was uncertain. This is what Jesus had to say.

“ Anyone who comes and listens to me and obeys me 48 is like someone who dug down deep and built a house on solid rock. When a flood came and the river rushed against the house, it was built so well that it didn’t even shake. 49 But anyone who hears what I say and doesn’t obey me is like someone whose house wasn’t built on solid rock. As soon as the river rushed against that house, it was smashed to pieces!” Luke 6:47-49 CEV

We don’t have to be shaken by our circumstances.

When we trust God’s word we have a sure foundation, a foundation that cannot be shaken.

“You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. 7 Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.” Colossians 2:6-7 CEV

“The Lord gives perfect peace to those whose faith is firm. 4 So always trust the Lord
because he is forever our mighty rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4 CEV

I feel like the Lord wants me to pray for you right now.

“Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to you lifting all who are reading this to Your throne. Replace the shakiness in their hearts with Your peace that bypasses our understanding. Make their spiritual legs strong so they won’t be shaken. You promise that we can do all things through Christ, He is our strength. Your word Father is our rock, our firm foundation. We trust you!” Amen.

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The Silent Sabbath

I can only imagine what it must have been like to one of Jesus’ disciples on that Sabbath Day.

 “There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God’s kingdom to come. He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what they had decided.

52 Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53 He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in fine cloth. Then he put it in a tomb that had been cut out of solid rock and had never been used. 54 It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin.[a]

55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and watched how Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb. 56  Then they went to prepare some sweet-smelling spices for his burial. But on the Sabbath they rested, as the Law of Moses commands.” Luke 23:50-56 CEV

The quiet, the grief, the anxiousness, the heart break, the disillusionment, the fear.

They had truly believed that He would set up an earthly kingdom and now He, their Messiah, was dead. Hope was gone. Fear invaded their silence – would the soldiers be coming for them next? Would they be accused, tried and crucified?

Across the city there was a commotion going on at Pilate’s court.

“On the next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate. 63  They said, ‘Sir, we remember what this liar said while he was still alive. He claimed in three days he would come back from death. 64 So please order the tomb to be carefully guarded for three days. If you don’t, his disciples may come and steal his body. They will tell the people he has been raised to life, and this last lie will be worse than the first one.’

65 Pilate said to them, ‘All right, take some of your soldiers and guard the tomb as well as you know how.’ 66 So they sealed it tight and placed soldiers there to guard it.” Matthew 27:62-66 CEV

These were the same men that had Jesus arrested and hauled to Pilate’s court the day before. They were scared. If Jesus was who He said He was He would be raised from the dead and that was frightening.

There was no silence here.

“ Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. 15 He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.” Colossians 2:14-15 ERV

The Apostle Paul gives us a glimpse behind the rock that sealed the tomb. Jesus met His enemy; the one who had tempted Him in the wilderness, the one who had stirred up the hatred against Him. There in the world of the spirit, Jesus defeated Satan and his powers; Jesus stripped him and showed the world that Satan had been defeated!

“56 Sin is what gives death its sting, and the Law is the power behind sin. 57 But thank God for letting our Lord Jesus Christ give us the victory!” I Corinthians 15:57-58 CEV

When God seems silent, when our hope is gone, remember there is victory for us in Christ Jesus. Break the silence and raise your voice in praise!

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God Was Pleased

We don’t have a lot of Biblical information on the young and formative years of Jesus, but we do know that His earthly parents were faithful to raise Him to love the Lord God and follow God’s statutes.

Each year they would take Jesus to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. You remember Passover, it’s when God told the Israelites to kill a lamb and place its blood on the door posts and lentils so the death angel would “pass over” their homes when he came through Egypt.

Here is the one story we do have about Jesus’ childhood.

” Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. And when Jesus was twelve years old, they all went there as usual for the celebration. 43 After Passover his parents left, but they did not know that Jesus had stayed on in the city. 44 They thought he was traveling with some other people, and they went a whole day before they started looking for him. 45 When they could not find him with their relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem and started looking for him there. 46 Three days later they found Jesus sitting in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was surprised at how much he knew and at the answers he gave.” Luke 2:42-47 CEV

Now please don’t over spiritualize this story.

We have two parents who thought their son was hanging with friends on their way back to Nazareth. At the end of the day, they find that he isn’t anywhere in the traveling party. They go back to Jerusalem, searching for him. It takes them three days. Three days, to find him!

They must have been worried sick. The city was crowded, the roads they traveled could be dangerous for someone alone; they searched…and finally found Him in the temple. He was learning from the elders and at the same time was amazing them with His knowledge.

“When his parents found him, they were amazed. His mother said, ‘Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried, and we have been searching for you!’ 49 Jesus answered, “Why did you have to look for me? Didn’t you know that I would be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he meant. 51 Jesus went back to Nazareth with his parents and obeyed them. His mother kept on thinking about all that had happened. 52  Jesus became wise, and he grew strong. God was pleased with him and so were the people.” Luke 2:48-52 CEV

Young Jesus was obedient, wise, strong and He pleased His heavenly Father. He was already on the road that would lead Him to the cross. Along that road He touched the lives of the people He came in contact with – the friends, the Temple rulers, the people that came to the Temple to learn from them, His mother and the people in His village.

So, what does that have to do with you and I?

“God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son. 20 And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. 21 You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.” Colossians 1:19-22 CEV

Jesus walked the road to the cross and pleased God so that you and I could have peace with the Father. We have been made holy, faultless and innocent because of Him!

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