Colossians 3:7-8

Colossians 3:7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 

Before you get on your high horse remember, you once walked in these things too. You’ve got to love Paul, because his writing keeps you humble or should keep you humble.

He’s saying in prior verses before this one that we should put to death whatever in us is worldly, because God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient—those who are practicing these ungodly things. However, before you point your finger at how bad off someone else is, remember you once walked in these things too. Not only that, but you walked in these things when you were living in them. In other words, you didn’t just dabble here and there, you were in it.

Colossians 3:8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 

Now you must put away those worldly desires and ways of life. It won’t be easy because we’re so used to being surrounded by these things. Yet, we can be encouraged. If Paul is telling us to put them away, that’s because they can be put away. But how? The Power of the Holy Spirit will enable you to put away worldly desires and replace them with godly desires. It will take some work. It will take saying no to familiar things. It will require discomfort. But it can be done and it will be worth it.

Right or Righteous Podcast Episode

Do you want to be right or righteous?

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Let Your Solution Be A Question

Jeremiah 32:26-27

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? 

Isn’t this verse what all of life’s difficult questions boil down to? I don’t mean to oversimplify our problems or offensively simplify them. But, this question is really simple: Is anything too hard for God? Is there anything He can’t do? Is there any problem that He can’t solve? Is there any situation He can’t turn around?

No.

There is nothing that is too hard for God. God hasn’t met difficulty, and He won’t. Nothing will ever overcome God’s strength and might, or His purposes and plans. There is no sickness that He can’t heal, no wayward child is too far gone, and no obstacle is far too difficult. Nothing is too hard for God. No one is too hard for God to change.

With every obstacle we face, with the persistence of life’s difficulties, and with the nagging fears and doubts that we face, let’s not force ourselves to come up with a solution to all. Let’s not assume that we don’t have the answer or that God is silent. Where we search for answers, let us find the solution in this question.

Is anything too hard for God?

 

 

What Marriage Did

Can I start with saying that marriage is not a magic solution? What I’m saying in this post isn’t that marriage “fixed” me, but God used it to reveal things to me that I’d been blind to about myself. This really is a true statement I heard from Rick Warren, “marriage doesn’t conceal problems,but reveals them.”

Marriage has pointed out two important s’s in my life: selfish and sensitive.

Marriage has taught me that I’m far more selfish than I realized. And really that I’m far more selfish than I’d ever admit. That’s the great thing about marriage, it reveals things in you that otherwise you’d just ignore.

I’ve noticed how sensitive I am. I’m easily offended by Brandon and I’ve really become a big softie since being married. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely has made me turn more emotional molehills into mountains.

Could someone point these things out to me? Maybe? But reflecting on how I respond or react towards Brandon is what really made it obvious.

Have I tried to change? Yes. Will I be perfect? Nope. How is this encouraging? Easy. I know things I need to change about myself to become a better person.

For many many reasons and in many many ways, marriage has made me a better person. It is the second best decision I’ve ever made and will ever make. It’s because of this decision that I’ve been influenced and am able to grow into a better person. If I don’t know I need to change, I won’t. Thanks to marriage I know what I need to change and through the power of the Holy Spirit I can.

My marriage reminds me of how God uses it to bring us closer to Him. It reminds me of His love for us. And it reminds me that He is patient to see us change. Think about it, I got married when I was 27? For 27 years I’d been living with this root of selfishness that God revealed in a deeper level through my marriage.

My marriage reminds me more than anything of the gratitude that I have for God loving me unconditionally and patiently.

Much with Little

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6 NLT

God’s still working on and in people. We are imperfect beings. Sometimes realizing that is hard. We just want to be better or get better sooner. However, we have to understand it’s a process.

There’s a lot of good news in the verse above. Paul points out a lot to encourage us:

1) He was certain. When people are certain about things they tell you, isn’t that much more reassuring? He was certain about his statement and Paul was quite reputable therefore his certainty is quite reassuring.

2) God began the work. We’ve seen the beauty of God’s work all around us, so knowing that God is at work is good news for us all.

3) God will continue the work. God didn’t begin the work and leave it up to chance. He began the work, will continue the work, and will finish the work.

So, God is far from giving up on us. God began a work within us to continue to work on us. There are some quotes that come to mind, a phrase “pardon my progress” and a song “please be patient with me, God is not through with me yet.”

He’s not. But we can look forward to the day He will finish at Christ’s return. We’ll be in awe that God did so much with seemingly so little– you and I.

Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NLT

In other words, be different. Only the world would see being different from it as a bad thing. Don’t be like the world, be transformed. Don’t just act brand new, be brand new.

Isn’t it amazing how powerful our thoughts can be? Think about it (no pun intended). God transforms you into a new person by changing the way you think. Your thoughts make you the person that you are, but when God changes those thoughts, He changes you.

When your thought process is different, you’re different, thus your desires are different. These desires become God-centered, desiring to do His will. And what is His will? That which is good and pleasing and perfect.

If you want to be different start with the basics. Think different.

God is Both

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”
Exodus 34:6‭-‬7 NLT

I think compassion deals with the heart while justice deals with the head.

I think compassion prompts a heart change and justice prompts head knowledge of consequences. Without compassion I don’t think people emote with wrongs. I don’t people can genuinely care about wrongs if there is no compassion. It’s way different to know something is wrong and see how the heart that is broken by that wrong.

Yet, without justice I don’t think people’s actions change if there aren’t consequences. The consequence of jail keeps some people from crime.

Thankfully, God is the perfect balance of both.

God is compassionate towards us and willing to love us towards change. But He’s also the perfect balance of justice, and He’s willing to discipline us towards change.

Without the two, we just have both extremes of a spectrum. With them both we have a perfect balance that is more likely to motivate a person to change. Some people stay away from crime because it would break a family member’s heart. Some stay away from it because the consequence is prison. If God were only compassionate then those who may require justice as motivation to change may never do so. If God were only about justice then those who respond more to compassion may forever lack motivation to change. Only God can equally be both and provide each of us what we need in order to change for His glory and His honor.

Teaching with Authority, Part 2

for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Matthew 7:29 NLT

Above is the verse we started with yesterday. And we looked at the fact that people were amazed at Jesus’s teaching. He simplified the Gospel instead of complicating it. So how was this so easy for Him to do?

1) It’s Jesus. God in flesh. So He truly does have authority to teach unlike the religious leaders.

2) There is such a difference in studying and memorizing God’s word for useful instruction versus destruction.

Unfortunately, a lot of these leaders were manipulative. Where God’s Word was to be used by them for healthy instruction, they used it as a tool to tear people down. God’s Word and Will had become a chore rather than a loving choice.

3) I don’t mean to use the word easy in a disrespectful way, but it was easy for Jesus to teach with authority unlike the religious leaders because the leaders had no heart behind their teaching.

You can know the Law of God but without knowing God, you won’t want to obey it. These leaders were heavy on obedience but light on heart. What I mean is that they really would focus on the sacrifice we should make for our sins but not on the heart sacrifice for repentance. They opted for religion over relationship.

Unfortunately today, it still happens. I can personally say that I get so focused on the routine of a relationship that there’s no real authority or power in my walk. And that’s a problem that is clearly as old as time.

Talking the talk without any actual walk a.k.a. lifestyle that reflects Christ is the prime example of religion over relationship. When this happens, no matter how much we study the Bible and memorize Scriptures, it won’t yield authoritative teaching. Teaching with authority develops from a relationship with the Father, and that’s what Jesus had.

Teaching with Authority, Part 1

for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Matthew 7:29 NLT

Talk about a time to self-assess! So Jesus is giving some how-to’s. Essentially, some simple steps to truly honoring God and what that looks like in practical ways.

Verse 29 always amazes me. Because Jesus has really not complicated what it means to follow Him. He’s removed the complications that years and years of works produced. In fact, make sure to read all of chapter seven, it’s a great chapter to read. We find The Golden Rule in this chapter, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” There is also wisdom on effective prayer, judgment, and so much more.

So Jesus has preached and shared these truths and the people are amazed. What gets me is that Jesus has simplified the Scriptures and people are amazed at His teaching. And amazed in a good way because he taught with real authority.

Imagine being a religious teacher. Your entire life is dedicated to studying and memorizing the Scriptures. You spend years and years of repetition with the Holy Scriptures, scroll after scroll after scroll. Then Jesus comes to town (the One you’re supposed to be looking for) and simplifies what you’ve been studying for years, and the people are in awe of it! How can this be?

Tomorrow, let’s venture into what makes this unique. Obviously, the fact that it’s Jesus is the start.

Seven Years

Seven years goes by fast. So much change happens in that time. Changes that are good and changes that are hard.

Seven years ago Brandon and I made a decision that would lead to one of the best decisions of our lives. Agreeably, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is best decision number one. After that, marrying each other.

Isn’t that crazy how important marriage is? It’s not a close second to number one by any means, but it’s the most important decision after eternal life.

We decided to go on our first date seven years ago on Memorial Day. That date led to more, which led to today. Five years of marriage complete, and whole lot of love and patience along the way.

It is with joy that I greet this day, knowing what this day will always mean to me.