Living the New Life
"1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is yourt life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.t 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile,t circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,t slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful."
I have always enjoyed movies or TV shows where someone goes back in time and encounters themselves in the past. The one from the past has so many questions about the future. And the one from the future has so many things to say, to impart wisdom and warning about actions and decisions that haven't yet been made.
Reading Colossians 3 - I exist right now in eternity - I have already been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places. Christ is there, and I am there, yet I am also here. If my eternal self could speak to my present self now, I wonder what would be said?
I have no doubt that I would beg myself not to fall into sin, not to give into temptation. Having already experienced the judgment seat of Christ, and shedding tears that God wiped away from my eyes, I would plead with my former self to exercise self-control, to do anything and everything I could not to sin.
Here's the rub: my eternal self can't go back to me, but I can seek my eternal self.
Jesus has told me to keep seeking and setting my mind on the things above. If I focus on my future, I will have great power over the fleshly indulgences that my sin nature wants to take and my present self on earth will not be so set on the present, worldly desires. (Matt. 6:19-20)
So how do I live with the constant conflicts of self and my 'new life in Christ'? Colossians 3:15 says, "And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful."
In other words, Christ's peace becomes the referee or umpire in my heart. My heart is the center of the conflict because there my feelings and desires clash: my fears and hopes, my distrust and trust, my jealousy and love. How can I deal with constant conflicts and live as God wants? As Paul explains, I must decide between conflicting elements by using the rule of peace - which choice will promote peace in my soul?
There are too many times there is a knock-down, drag-out war going on inside of me. I am seeking peace but my choices bring me turmoil and unrest. It shines a new light on putting 'to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within me,' (vs 5).
The Christian life is a continuing education program. The more I know of Christ and His work, the more I am being changed to be like Him. Because this process is lifelong, I must never stop learning and obeying. There is no justification for drifting along, but there is an incentive to find the rich treasures of growing in Christ. Someday I will be my eternal self, there with my Lord, this world and all its sinful trappings - a distant memory.
Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with your Spirit that I may be occupied with your presence. Give me faith to see my name engraved on Your hand, my soul and body redeemed by Your blood, my sinfulness covered by Your life of pure obedience - that I may know that You have bound me to Yourself forever.
Phil. 3:20 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."
Phil. 4:9 "Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."
