Dad's Ramblings -- "Fill 'Er Up"

FILL 'ER UP!!
Colossiasn 3:16
 
"Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord."
 
A standard phrase at the gas station is "Fill 'er up." What I put in the tank – good gas or bad gas – determines performance.   When it comes to my mouth, what comes out will be determined by what I put in my heart. If the word of Christ dwells in me richly, then godly wisdom and praise will be the fruit of my lips. If I don't, then the fruit will be the blasphemy of unbelief, filthy language and lies (Colossians 3:8-9). That's why it is so important to go to God's word every day and "fill 'er up."
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: A heart filled with the word of Christ will issue forth wisdom and praise.
 
Have a full day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Family Life

FAMILY LIFE
Colossians 3:18-21
 
"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
Father, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged."
 
The family is a microcosm of the church. There are overarching principles that help the family and the church family run smoothly – submission, love, obedience, and encouragement. That sounds easy but working them out in practice is a challenge because we are all have individual temperaments and ways of feeling and thinking. But these four principles are standards by which to live in relationship. God, help me to live Your way.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God has given the basic principles for relationship in the family and in the church.
 
Have a "family" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Well-Dressed Christian

THE WELL-DRESSED CHRISTIAN
Colossians 3:12-15
 
"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."
 
A radio preacher of my youth had a weekly segment entitled, "What The Well-dressed Christian Wears." Just as we go to the clothes closet and choose our daily wear, so Paul indicates that these clothes we put on are a matter of choice. I can choose to wear the dirty old clothes of anger, pride, hate, unforgiveness, and unthankfulness, which are expressions of my fleshly emotions. Or I can choose to be merciful, humble, meek, forgiving, loving, peaceful, and thankful, which are expressions of God's character. What will I wear today?
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Being clothed with godly character is a matter of choice.
 
Have a choice day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Dress Code

DRESS CODE
Colossians 3:9-10
 
"Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."
 
The image of "putting off" and "putting on" is clothing. Every morning we make a decision about the appropriate dress for the day, and we choose what to wear accordingly. Many stores and restaurants have a dress code. In fact, they require their employees to wear a uniform so the customer can identify the store employee. Christians have a dress code. We should be clothed in truth, which is the image of Christ, who is truth. Lying identifies a person with Satan, who is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Truth should be a distinguishing characteristic of a follower of the Lord Jesus. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Romans 13:14). I want my appearance to be Christ-like.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Christians are clothed in Christ, who is truth.
 
Have a dressy day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Life InTwo Spheres

LIFE IN TWO SPHERES
Colossians 3:5-8
 
"Therefore put to death in your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desires, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves, put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth."
 
I live in two spheres – in Christ and in the world. In the spiritual sphere, I am hid and live in the righteousness of Christ by faith. In the world, I still live in the body with its fleshly desires. As a Christian, I am charged with the task of conforming my earthly life to my heavenly life. It is a daily challenge to put my evil desires to death and live in holiness. The answer is to not just control them but to put them to death when they rear their ugly heads. Co-existence is not an option.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The Christian lives in two spheres, and the challenge is to conform the earthly sphere to the heavenly sphere.
 
Have a holy day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Hidden With Christ

HIDDEN WITH CHRIST
Colossians 3:3-4
  
"For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory."
 
When I was a kid, my brother an I got into a rock fight with some neighborhood children. It was the two of us against maybe 6 other kids. I got hit by a rock and went down, so I hid behind my older brother. In the battles of life, I am hid in Christ. My life is wrapped up in Jesus. His death is my death; His resurrection is my resurrection; His life is my life; and when He returns to set up His kingdom, I will return with Him (Revelation 19:14). God sees me in Christ instead of in my sin, and I am safe with Him. What a wonderful thing.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Faith in Jesus hides me with Christ in God.
 
Have a hidden day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- A Heavenly Mindset

A HEAVENLY MINDSET
Colossians 3:1-2
 
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."
 
It is easy to be distracted from a heavenly focus by the pleasures and pains of this world. The immediacy of earthly cares consume my energy and resources – mentally and materially. I do not deny the reality of this world. But there is a greater reality – eternal life in heaven where Christ is with the Father. Earthly joys and challenges cannot be compare to the glory that will be revealed to us in heaven (see Romans 8:18). My mind is set. I lift my eyes from this world to that which is above.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Life on earth, with its joys and challenges, is real, but a mind set on heaven seeks those things which are above.
 
Have a heavenly day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Rotten To The Core

ROTTEN TO THE CORE
Colossians 2:23
        
"These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religions, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh."
 
We recently canned some pears. Some of them looked good on the outside, but when we cut them open, they were rotten to the core. Jesus confronted the Pharisees who looked very holy because they kept all the rules concerning washing of hands and dietary laws. But He pinpointed the problem when He said, "Out of heart proceed evil thoughts ... These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). Rules that control my behavior – "do not touch, taste, or handle" – are of value in controlling my outward evil actions, and they make me look holy to other people. But they do nothing to control the inner evil desires of the flesh – my lusts, my pride, my prejudices. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. He sees past the facade of my outward holiness and sees that I am rotten to the core. Only a change of heart will take care of the evil desires of my flesh. Praise be to God that He is changing me from the inside out.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Rules can control external actions, but do not change the heart.
 
Have a changed day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- BPOW

BPOW
Colossians 2:20-22
 
"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations – 'Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,' which all concern things which perish with the using – according to the commandments and doctrines of men."
 
BPOW (Basic Principles Of The World) is expressed by the attitudes, "I can do it," or "I earned it." Everyone in the world live by these basic principles. Even children observe these principles when they say, "I can do it, Daddy." In other words, "I don't need any help; leave me alone." Adults live by the mantra, "I earned every success I enjoy because I pulled myself up by my bootstraps through my own sacrifices and ingenuity." When it comes to spiritual things, we think we can please God by our own works. "I can earn my way to heaven by living a good life." But this is in contradiction to grace. We receive God's blessings only because He gives them to us through Christ's death. We cannot please God by our own efforts.  All our works will perish.  All the praise belongs to Jesus. He did it.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: My own works and efforts will perish;  only Christ's work will last.
 
Have a grace day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- False Humility

FALSE HUMILITY
Colossians 2:18-19
 
"Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshily mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by the joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God."
 
I get nervous when I am with people who talk more about their religion and how spiritual they are than they talk about wonderful Jesus is. When they can only talk of getting up at 4:00 a.m. to pray, or how much they have memorized the Bible, or their position in the church, or their deep spiritual insight, something is wrong. They relegate Jesus to the back seat, and are "vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind." Jesus is the Head, and everything flows from Him. That means I have no grounds for pride or boasting in my "spirituality." Jesus is all in all.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: There is no room for pride in my own spirituality when Jesus is the Head.
 
Have a "true humility" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Shadow or Substance?

SHADOWS OR SUBSTANCE?
Colossians 2:16-17
 
"So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or a sabbath, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ."
 
Shadows are empty. Just try to catch one. They are not real; they are only an illusion of the real thing. The Old Covenant focused on keeping the Mosaic law, which was only a shadow of the reality of Christ. Some people still focus on the external trappings of religion – keeping holy days or eating certain foods. But they are empty. External observance of days and rules are not reality. As Christians, we focus on the substance of the New Covenant – Jesus Christ. We are judged not by our keeping of rituals but by our devotion to Jesus.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Religious ritual is empty; devotion to Jesus is the reality of Christianity.
 
Have a "real" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Disarmed

DISARMED
Colossians 2:15
 
"Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them."
 
This does not seem to fit reality. We see the abundance of evil in the world and wonder how the evil principalities and power have so much influence if they have been disarmed. But the truth is that Satan and his legions have been stripped of their power through Christ's death on the cross. Any power they have is what we humans allow them to have. Because Jesus triumphed over all the power of the enemy, we also can live victorious.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Satan has been disarmed – he has no power over us.
 
Have a victorious day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Alive In Christ

ALIVE IN CHRIST
Colossians 2:13-14
 
"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven your trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
 
Becoming a Christian is not merely exchanging the bondage of sin for the bondage of legalism.  Some people were dead in their trespasses, but now they are dead in their religion. They try to live holy by keeping the law, which is contrary to us. So their Christian life is a continual struggle of controlling the flesh.  I know because I've been there.  When Christ forgives our sins, we are alive in His freedom. The bondage of sin and the bondage of legalism were both nailed to the cross. We live in His resurrection. Hallelujah!!!!
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Life in Christ is more than just controlling our sinful flesh; it is being alive in Christ's resurrected life.
 
Have an alive day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Working of God

THE WORKING OF GOD
Colossians 2:12
 
"...buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."
 
I confess that I don't understand all about the mystery of baptism. I know that it is a symbol of identification with Christ in His death and resurrection. When the believer goes down into the water, he confesses that Christ died for sin, and when he comes up out of the water, he is raised with Him to new life. But somehow it is more than a ritual or human activity. Mysteriously God is at work in that ordinance and something spiritual happens. This all happens through faith in Christ. In another place, Paul said that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us and gives life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11). In it all, the believer dies to sin because Jesus died for sin, and lives because Jesus lives. What a wonderful mystery.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: In baptism, we identify by faith with Christ's death for sin and resurrection to new life.
 
Have a living day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Circumcision

CIRCUMCISED
Colossians 2:11
 
"In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ...."
 
Paul used a metaphor of physical circumcision to illustrate our walk with Christ. Just as physical circumcision is a cutting off of the flesh – a painful process – so also spiritual circumcision is a cutting off of the fleshly deeds and attitudes in our lives. Physical circumcision is an aid to cleanliness; so also is the spiritual. Physical circumcision was a sign under the old covenant of relationship with Yahweh, identifying the Jews as God's people; so also is the spiritual a sign of our relationship to Christ – His people. The analogy breaks down in two aspect: 1) physical circumcision is only for men, whereas in the spiritual women also need to be circumcised; 2) physical circumcision is a one-time procedure, whereas spiritual is a continuous process. God calls us all to a life of circumcision.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Cutting off the flesh in my life is a painful but necessary process.
 
Have a circumcised day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Complete In Christ

COMPLETE IN CHRIST
Colossians 2:9-10
 
"For in Him dwells all the fulness of the godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."
 
Most people are seeking fulfillment in life. The fulfilled person is content in who he is. He doesn't have to keep seeking his identity, purpose in life, or self-esteem, through what he does or by his position in society, or what people think of him. My fulfillment comes from my relationship with Jesus, who is the fulness of everything. I am complete in Him.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Fulfillment come through knowing who I am in Christ – a child of God.
 
Have a fulfilled day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Human Philosophy

HUMAN PHILOSOPHY
Colossians 2:8
 
"Beware lest anyone cheat you [margin: plunder you and take you captive] through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
 
Paul's warning about human philosophy is just as valid today as it was in the first century. Humanism and Theism are incompatible. Whatever the area of philosophy – whether origins, personal rights, morality, sexuality, ethics, government, economics or any other area – human thinking is in contradiction to Christ-thinking. Humanistic thinking has taken our culture captive and is plundering our nation. It is cheating this generation because it is empty deceit, making people think that the way to freedom is follow man's wisdom. God's way is best because it leads to true freedom and the abundant life.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Human philosophy is deceptive because it appears to lead to life but in reality takes away freedom.
 
Have a Christ-thinking day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings: Walk The Talk

WALK THE TALK
Colossians 2:5-6
 
"For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."
 
Sometimes there is a disconnect between a what people say they believe and the way they live. Paul couples his praise for their faith with an exhortation to "walk the talk." It is incumbent on me to be so steadfast, rooted and established in my faith in Christ Jesus, that my life is an abounding expression of that faith. My witness is not just what I profess but how I live.   I'm not always successful, but that's my goal.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: My faith should be expressed by the way I live.
 
Have a "walking" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Persuasive Words

PERSUASIVE WORDS
Colossians 2:4
 
"Now I say this lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words."
 
It is so easy to be swayed from the truth and deceived by persuasive words. Lawyers and politicians are very adept at using words to make a lie sound like truth. It's called "spin." And Satan, the father of lies, deceives me by speaking into my mind words that sound convincing, but are not true. That's why I need to constantly be listening critically and comparing what I hear to God's truth – His Word, so that I can discern deception and not be swayed by persuasive words.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Lies are lies no matter how persuasively they are spoken.
 
Have a truth day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Relationships

RELATIONSHIPS
Colossians 2:2-4
 
"... that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
 
Paul's "great conflict" or struggle (vs. 1) concerned the believers' relationships with each other as the body of Christ, and their relationship with God. He wanted to see genuine love between believers – hearts knit together. But he also wanted to see them growing in their knowledge of Father and Jesus. These two aspect of Christian living are entwined. As John wrote, "...he who loves God must love his brother also" (I John 4:21b). As the old song goes, "You can't have one without the other."
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Love for other people is directly related to love for God.
 
Have a "growing" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Battle

THE BATTLE
Colossians 2:1
 
"For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh...."
 
This is another evidence of Paul's love for the Church – even for those he had not met. He had "great conflict" for them. This word "conflict" translates the Greek word "agon" and is related to the word "agonizomai" – agony (see Dad's Ramblings for 9/29/12). "Agon" is the word used for the athletic contests of ancient Greece that often resulted in the death of the vanquished opponent. Hence, it is a struggle or battle – not a picnic in the park. Paul cared so deeply for believers that he did spiritual battle for them. What a contrast to my life. My spiritual battles are usually for myself, rather than for someone else. Rather, I find myself condemning, judging, and criticizing other believers rather than fighting for them. This is truly convicting. Lord, help me!
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Our conflict should be for other believers, not against them.
 
Have a "battle" day. Love you.