Thursday November 3, 2016

 

If you have ever felt as though you failed at being a follower of Jesus, do not worry you are in good company. Jesus’ disciples constantly failed. Even the Apostle Paul who wrote one third of the New Testament said, “I want to do what is good but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do anyway.” I believe we can all identify with Paul’s statement.

 

Colossians 3:1-2, 9-10 NLT

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. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

 

Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

 

In Christ, we have a new life and a new identity fashioned in the image of our creator. The problem however is, that we still have an old way of thinking. Just like the people of Israel when God rescued them from slavery in Egypt. It took God all of one day to liberate them and give them a new life. However, it took him more than forty years to renew their way of thinking. It was far easier to get them out of Egypt than it was to get Egypt out of them.

 

Like the Israelites, when God saved us he gave us a new life. Now He wants to lead us through the process of renewing our way of thinking. He wants to remove our old way of thinking and replace it with the realities of heaven. Because, when we learn to think differently, then we will begin to act differently.

 

Our best efforts to fulfill God’s law absent a renovation, is nothing more than a religious act. What is interesting is that all religious acts begin with temporary obedience. This is followed by great frustration, and finally we are left feeling guilty because we were not able to consistently keep God’s law.

 

For this reason, we need to start thinking and focusing on heavenly things and not on earthly ones. Instead of behaving religiously, we need to allow God to change our old way of thinking about money, love, family, and everything pertaining to our life. Because, a renewed mind always results in a transformed life.