Sunday, October 7, 2012

Seek those things which are above

If we claim Christ as our Savior, If we choose to walk in the Spirit, we are making a choice to live a certain way.  Throughout the Word of God we are told how we should be, what the characteristics are of Christ followers. 

Read the following very carefully-

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

Col 3:2  SET YOU AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE NOT ON THINGS ON THE EARTH.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Col 3:5  MORTIFY therefore YOUR MEMBERS which are upon the earth;

FORNICATION
UNCLEANESS
INORDINATE AFFECTION
EVIL CONCUPISCENCE
And COVETOUSNESS

which is idolatry

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also PUT OFF ALL THESE

ANGER
MALICE
BLASPHEMY
FILTHY COMMUNICATION OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER

Col 3:9  LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER, seeing that ye have PUT OFF THE OLD MAN WITH HIS DEEDS
Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Col 3:12  PUT ON therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

BOWELS OF MERCIES
KINDNESS
HUMBLENESS OF MIND
MEEKNESS LONGSUFFERING

Col 3:13 

FORBEARING ONE ANOTHER
FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER

 if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Col 3:14  And above all these things PUT ON CHARITY, which is the bond of perfectness.

Col 3:15  And LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE IN YOUR HEARTS  to the which also ye are called in one body; and BE YE THANKFUL.

Col 3:16  LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY IN ALL WISDOM, TEACHING and ADMONISHING  ONE ANOTHER IN PSALMS and HYMNS and SPIRITUAL SONGS SINGING with GRACE IN YOUR HEARTS TO THE LORD
Col 3:17  And WHATSOEVER YE DO IN WORD OF DEED
DO ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS
GIVING THANKS TO GOD AND THE FATHER BY HIM.

*

So ask yourself… is this how you live your life?
Is this how you try to live your life?
Is this the standard you hold up before yourself and strive for?

Satan would have us despair of even imagining we could be all this and more in Christ. Satan wants us to believe we shouldn't do ANYTHING because then we are claiming that our works are making us Christians which is NOT true, only CHRIST gives us salvation.

Some will ask why bother doing anything at all if it means nothing, if it doesn't give us points towards salvation, towards a bigger mansion, a larger crown, more jewels in that crown.  The very face people ask this reveals their concept of God's love is skewed and they need to be prayed for.  It isn't about gaining something selfishly in any way, it's about LOSING self and all selfish desire.  It's not about doing good to get something out of it, it's doing good because you can't HELP but do good because CHRIST is living in you!

You want Christ to live in you, you want to live like Christ.

Will we always desire to do good, to do the right thing, to be all that was said above? No.  Our flesh nature will NOT let us DESIRE that constantly, but MENTALLY the part of us that can overrule our senses and comprehend that the desire not to do good isn't of God, can repent, can ask for forgiveness and can do that which is good regardless of the flesh desire in us to NOT want to do good things.

We are given so much SPIRITUAL instruction that to choose NOT to follow it, NOT to have anything to do with it means we are choosing to live with a spiritual deficit.  God wants us to be spiritually full in HIM and Satan wants us to be spiritually dead, not even aware of our spiritual nature. If Satan can hide our spiritual nature He will and He's done just that for sooooo many people.

*

Don't do the following, don't encourage the following in your life-

FORNICATION
UNCLEANNESS
INORDINATE AFFECTION
EVIL CONCUPISCENCE
And COVETOUSNESS which is idolatry

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Col 3:8  But now ye also PUT OFF ALL THESE

ANGER
MALICE
BLASPHEMY
FILTHY COMMUNICATION OUT OF YOUR MOUTH
LIE NOT TO ONE ANOTHER

*

These are just a FEW of the things we are not to do, not to encourage, not to strive for in our lives, not to accept as a natural part of us that cannot be surrendered to Christ.

When we have these things in our lives and WANT to keep them there, feeling absolutely no remorse for them, then we need to do a lot of praying, a lot!

Please LORD help us! Help us to desire to live more like YOU. Help us have YOU in us a living, real presence through YOUR Holy Spirit.

Please LORD, Satan would destroy us through despair that we will ever be as You would have us be, but we cannot despair, YOU would not have us despair but HOPE, live in HOPE, the HOPE of YOU!

In YOUR AMAZING LOVE AND MERCY, YOUR GRACE, YOUR FORGIVENESS!


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