Text: Colossians 3:11-14
Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." When Jesus says to love our enemies, he means that we love them with a lay-your-life-down type of love — the type that comes from the heart and desires the other’s good, and sacrifices for it, when no one else but God is watching.
Paul told us in Colossians 3 that there is simply no place for racial barriers, cultural snobbery, and an unforgiving spirit in the community of believers. Paul says to "put on" or, literally "clothe ourselves" with eight attitudes of the heart that allow us to love others and discover the joy and rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.
Francis Chan writes in Crazy Love, "I remember preaching on Luke 6, and I brought up the passage that says, “Do good to those who hate you.” I told the congregation to think of someone who hated them, and I asked, “Are you willing to go do something good for them? Will you do that? Yes or no?” I said, “Tell God right now, ‘No, I will not do that.’" We’re not willing to make that statement because we don’t want to say that to God, but we’re doing that every day. Passive disobedience is not as different from active disobedience as we sometimes think."
Unfortunately, we’ve conditioned ourselves to hear God's Word without responding. If we are just hearing the Word and not actually doing something with it, we are deceiving ourselves.
So what will you do? Ask yourself what actions and wordswill make each of these qualities become reality in your life.
Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." When Jesus says to love our enemies, he means that we love them with a lay-your-life-down type of love — the type that comes from the heart and desires the other’s good, and sacrifices for it, when no one else but God is watching.
Paul told us in Colossians 3 that there is simply no place for racial barriers, cultural snobbery, and an unforgiving spirit in the community of believers. Paul says to "put on" or, literally "clothe ourselves" with eight attitudes of the heart that allow us to love others and discover the joy and rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.
Francis Chan writes in Crazy Love, "I remember preaching on Luke 6, and I brought up the passage that says, “Do good to those who hate you.” I told the congregation to think of someone who hated them, and I asked, “Are you willing to go do something good for them? Will you do that? Yes or no?” I said, “Tell God right now, ‘No, I will not do that.’" We’re not willing to make that statement because we don’t want to say that to God, but we’re doing that every day. Passive disobedience is not as different from active disobedience as we sometimes think."
Unfortunately, we’ve conditioned ourselves to hear God's Word without responding. If we are just hearing the Word and not actually doing something with it, we are deceiving ourselves.
So what will you do? Ask yourself what actions and wordswill make each of these qualities become reality in your life.
- A compassionate heart
- Kindness
- Humility
- Meekness
- Patience
- Forbearance
- Love
Wise believers This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with other believers because they realize that we all have major blind spots and we are all dragging lots of junk we don't even know is there. When we invite other believers into our lives and give them permission to speak truth we can begin to see ourselves accurately.
We don't look to "improve" simply to become a better us. We have been called to minister to others. The most important encounter in ministry is not people's encounter with you, but their encounter with Jesus. You are simply called to set up that encounter.
You prepare yourself for that encounter by putting on Christ (Romans 13:14) and setting your mind on things above (Colossians 3:2)--the truths of Scripture. Let's rest in Jesus and take action this week!
It's all about Jesus!
John
We don't look to "improve" simply to become a better us. We have been called to minister to others. The most important encounter in ministry is not people's encounter with you, but their encounter with Jesus. You are simply called to set up that encounter.
You prepare yourself for that encounter by putting on Christ (Romans 13:14) and setting your mind on things above (Colossians 3:2)--the truths of Scripture. Let's rest in Jesus and take action this week!
It's all about Jesus!
John
