Monday, March 20, 2017

An Heavenly Orientation

Colossians 3:1
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."

     It takes determination to get up every morning, go to work, pass our grades, loose weight by dieting and exercise, cook and clean our homes, shop and do laundry, and raise our kids properly. But for the believer, what's most important and needful is to have the determination, the desire, the will to follow God.

Every blood-bought, born-again believer can be more determined to follow God by implementing a more heavenly orientation for life. In Paul's letter to the Colossians, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he said, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God [3:1]." So if we choose to be obedient to God then we will "seek those things which are above." The entire orientation of our lives will be centered on God, who, in the Scriptures, has revealed Himself and His will for all believers.

Most people in the world seek their own wills and follow their own dreams. A nice car, a beautiful home, a lucrative career, a tropical March vacation, a new smartphone, a comfortable retirement, or season tickets to a favorite football team; these are some examples of what the world seeks. As inhabitants of the earth, we too have physical needs. These needs, however, ought not to be what steers the trajectory of our lives.

Rather than seeking the things below, the Bible tells us to "seek those things which are above." Jesus told us to not worry about what we'll eat, drink, or wear. "For after all these things do the Gentiles seek," he said, "for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things (Matthew 6:32)."  The pursuit of things below tends to absorb our lives and dissuade us from "seeking those things which are above." The orientations of our lives tends to be one which dismisses God's command because, "hey," we might say, "I'm just trying to survive. I don't have enough time to devote to God."

But if we honestly appreciate, deep in our hearts, that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross to pay the penalty, which we deserved, and thereby provided a path for us to have become children of God, then, because of our gratefulness, we should want to "seek those things which are above," those things which have eternal benefits. Practically, these "things...above" may include the disciplines of prayer, daily Bible reading, witnessing, winning souls to Christ, and belonging to a local church where we attend regularly and serve.

The need for survival in this world tends to draw our focus away from God. And in these days of video games, Netflix, Facebook, the internet, books, tv, and various hobbies and distractions, we sometimes just want time to relax and take it easy, which is certainly okay from time to time. But if we're grateful to God for saving us then our most crucial desire should be to gaze heavenwards.

Looking above takes an act of the will. We have to decide to orient our lives toward "things...above." We won't find any examples of this inclination in the society around us. We have to decide for ourselves if we want to embrace and implement God's command.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Walking in God

Walking in God

Colossians 2:6
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him."

Before one can walk in God, he must first be "in" God. That is, he must have accepted what Jesus accomplished on the cross, paying the debt we could never repay. Only then can he begin walking in God. Without Christ, our so-called good works mean nothing.

Once born again, a person can then begin to live life in such a way to please God. Walking in God means living in God. And to live in God requires movement. Step by step, hour by hour, day by day, the believer ought to gradually become more Christlike. But this can only happen when we yield to His will in our lives.

Here in New England, with the hurried lifestyles and high cost of living, some believers find it difficult to juggle all the responsibilities of life. However, if one is not consistently walking in God then he's standing still. And when we stand still, that is when Satan is most likely to raise havoc in our lives. Therefore, be sure to take steps daily to walk in Him.

Monday, March 6, 2017

Are You Willing to Suffer for God?

Colossians 1:24
"Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church."

The apostle Paul took delight in suffering to fulfill God's mission to reach the Gentiles with the Gospel and plant churches. He was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, left for dead, and imprisoned. While few believers in the U.S. face this type of suffering for God, let us remember that sometimes, when life confronts us with difficult situations (i.e. health issues, job loss, money problems, missed opportunities, etc...), that does not necessarily mean God is directing us away from where He wants us to be.

Sometimes His will is for us to suffer. While we prefer a smooth, comfortable life, living in this world with Biblical principles can cause the suffering of being harshly judged, loss of opportunities, family shunning, and in rare cases, imprisonment. Just because everything is not going "hunky dory" does not mean our path is being redirected by God.

God doesn't always make it easy for us to follow His will in obedience. Was it easy for Job to experience such loss just to demonstrate his faithfulness? Was it easy for Abraham to be on the verge of sacrificing his own son? Was it easy for Moses to lead that whining, disobedient, idolatrous but chosen people through the wilderness for 40 years?  So why should we expect it to be easy for us to follow His will?

Let's remember that just because a door is slammed in our faces, that doesn't mean God is directing us elsewhere. Being faithful to God, His Word, and His guidance in our lives will undoubtedly cause us to suffer in some ways. While we don't go out looking for suffering, we can at least understand that it can be an honor and a joy to suffer for God and His church.