Clothing Ourselves!

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Dear readers – did any of us have a favorite piece of clothing growing up? I apparently – according to old photos – had a favorite cowboy shirt and a red baseball hat. In many of my childhood pictures – from a certain age – that was what I had on. I still have favorite clothes – enjoying the more casual look over anything dressy. When I was in my early teen years – I had a favorite hat that was always on my head – it seems. I remember when I finally had to give it up – it was old – torn and smelled from years of sweating in it. I remember buying it with my own money at Ocean City one year. I know my girlfriends probably didn’t like it much – but it was a favorite!

As a pastor – I know there are proper times to wear certain clothes. For instance – I when I have a funeral – I will bring my collar and my suit jacket to work with me – so I can change before the service. I will return to the office for meetings after the funeral and put on my church shirt – typically a polo shirt with my name and the church’s name on it. I hardly ever wear a tie anymore – using the clergy collar shirt when I need to dress up.

Teams have uniforms. During player’s weekend one year – the Orioles wore bright orange and white uniforms – their hats looked like hunting hats. Since I mentioned the Orioles – have you noticed that they may finish 30 games better than last year and have an outside chance of making the playoffs? Football season is upon us. I like the Ravens all black uniforms – they are fierce looking. I remember the pride of wearing the basketball and football uniforms for my High School – Annapolis High – even if I didn’t play that much!

Today’s passage instructs us to clothe ourselves in Christ! Here’s the passage in partial context.

Colossians 3:1–17 – ¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. ⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. ¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Like sport’s teams wear uniforms of the same color so they know the difference between their players and the other team – so the children of God need to clothe themselves in Christ and not in the sins of the world. Like I mentioned in a message a few years ago – we are to put Christ First – and look more like Him each day. We are to be known by our love – but that love is to be expressed in obedience to Christ. The clothing of sin is the uniform of the other team – Satan’s team. We are to be dead to sin and alive in Christ. We are to be clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are to be clothed in Christ – not the world of sin – not Satan’s team. Let us clothe ourselves – each day – in the clothing of children of God!

Just something for us to think about today as we go on our way.

Comment at Ray’s blog: https://raymcdonald.wordpress.com/2022/09/29/clothing-ourselves/

A Fresh Pair of Eyes

Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. Acts 9:18 When we think of things out of focus, we think of pictures and videos. But what about eyesight? Many people in biblical days were nearsighted or farsighted, and there was nothing they could do about it. It was like watching an out-of-focus film every waking moment. The earliest attempts to create eyeglasses didn’t occur until the 1200s. What if we had to go through life with everything out of focus?

Going through life without worship is like living with blurred vision. We can neither see nor understand things clearly. Our wisdom is indistinct, and our perspective is fuzzy. When we acknowledge God for Who He is, find Him through Jesus Christ as our Savior, and begin to worship Him, it’s like scales falling from our eyes. That’s how Luke described the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9. Worshiping God each day means focusing on Him, letting Him give us the vision and perspective we need. Turn your mind toward Jesus and learn to think on Scripture as you go to sleep, wake up, and go through your day. Take time to focus your heart and your thoughts on the Lord. Ray Pritchard David Jeemiah

8 Reasons Spiritual Disciplines Matter

I know it sounds like a basic, simplistic matter in our Christian walk, but I’m writing this post to encourage all of us to do spiritual disciplines like Bible study, prayer, fasting, and solitude. Here’s why:

1. The disciplines slow us down. Most of us are so busy that we have little time to stop, reflect, and just spend time with God. We desperately need that time, though, even if we don’t realize it.
2. They put us in a position to listen to God. Not only are we too busy, but we’ve also lost the practice of just quietly listening to God through His Word and His Spirit. Consequently, we often worry more and trust less.
3. They emphasize relationship. Disciplines are about turning to God, focusing on Him, listening to Him, speaking to Him, and then telling others about Him. Strengthening our relationship with Him is both a motivation for, and a result of, disciplines.
4. They force us to see where we place our dependence. Regularly meeting God in the disciplines = admitting our need and desire for Him. When we spend little or no time with God, though, we are confessing that we have little need for Him.
5. They uncover our sin that hinders our walk with God. It’s difficult to read God’s Word, speak to Him, and focus on Him without seeing ourselves as the sinners we are. The disciplines challenge us to cry out to God for forgiveness and cleansing.
6. They correct our sins of omission. Reading the Word, praying, fasting, and other disciplines are acts of obedience to the God who saved us. Thus, it is simply right for us to do them.
7. They prepare us to teach and lead others. The best leaders of God’s church are those who lead from the overflow of their personal walk with Him. Apart from being with Him, we teach and lead in our own power – and that helps no one.
8. They produce in us godly confidence and excitement. When we know we’ve been with God, we’re much more prepared to speak about Him. In fact, we almost can’t help but speak of Him then.

What reasons would you add to this list?

Truth for Trails and Trials

Search the Scriptures, for…these are they which testify of Me. John 5:39 A. W. Tozer seldom used an unnecessary word. His sentences were plain and vivid, connecting with readers like an electrical circuit. Listen to this Tozer paragraph: “One great concern I have is that many of today’s Christians are not taking the Word of God seriously. For whatever reason, the Scriptures do not have authority in the Christian’s life in the way that is necessary for him or her to live a life to the glory of God.”[1]

We must take the Scriptures seriously because the Scriptures take the Lord seriously. We learn about Jesus through His Word: His eternal glory, His remarkable humanity, His infinite wisdom, His glorious resurrection, His current enthronement, His swift coming, and His everlasting reign. By turning our eyes to the Bible, we’re turning our gaze to Him, and that changes the way we view the trails and trials of earth. When you take the Bible seriously, you’ll grow closer to Christ—becoming stronger in Him and more joyful whatever befalls you. Ask the Lord to give you a love for His Word—and for His Son! If we are going to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must start by taking the Bible seriously. A. W. Tozer David Jeremiah

Unrighteous Anger

James 1:19-21 19 You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; 20 for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. Anger is a powerful emotion that often causes great damage. It fuels inner resentment and bitterness, shuts down communication, and breaks relationships. If unchecked, it boils over into explosive rage that hurts not only the intended target but others as well. While we often try to justify our anger, seldom can it be classified as righteous. We’re rarely offended for God’s honor. Our motives are usually born of self-defense, thwarted desires, or outrage over perceived wrongs against us. James wrote that our anger does not bring about God’s righteousness in our life. The book of Proverbs gives God’s perspective on the subject. Quick-tempered people act foolishly (A quick-tempered person acts foolishly, And a person of evil devices is hated. Prov. 14:17), stir up strife, and abound in wrongdoing (An angry person stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered person abounds in wrongdoing. Prov. 29:22). There are also warnings not to associate with such individuals so we won’t learn their ways (Do not make friends with a person given to anger, Or go with a hot-tempered person, 25 Or you will learn his ways And find a snare for yourself.Prov. 22:24-25). In contrast, those who are slow to anger have great understanding (One who is slow to anger has great understanding;But one who is quick-tempered exalts foolishness. Prov. 14:29) and demonstrate wisdom by holding their temper (A fool always loses his temper, But a wise person holds it back. Prov. 29:11). Jesus paid our sin debt with His life in order to set us free from sin, and that includes uncontrolled anger. If God has convicted you of unrighteous anger, confess it as sin and ask Him to reproduce Christ’s character in you.

Willingly or Unwillingly

For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Romans 14:11 Young people grow up learning to trust the word of certain adults, depending on how consistent those adults have been in following through on their words in the past. In Isaiah 55:10-11, the prophet quotes God’s promise that His Word will never fail to accomplish its intent. That is, God and His words are entirely trustworthy.

With that as background, every human being will someday bow before God and acknowledge Him. Because God said it, it will surely happen. He said it in Isaiah 45:23, referring to all “who are incensed against Him” (verse 24). Then the apostle Paul repeated this promise twice in his epistles—with two different applications. In Romans 14:11, the promise is directed toward Christians: Don’t judge others because everyone will one day be judged by God. But in Philippians 2:9-11, the promise encompasses all humanity: God exalted Christ over all, and one day all will acknowledge His Lordship; all will bow the knee before Him, willingly or unwillingly. Who would doubt God’s words? Far better to bow before Christ today willinglythan to bow unwillingly in the future. When we see even a small glimpse of God’s holiness, we will bow in worship. R. C. Sproul David Jeremiah

Living for Others

A Broadcast with Steven Lawson True joy in the Christian life can be found in offering ourselves as living sacrifices for the glory of God and the flourishing of His church. Today, Steven Lawson expounds on our calling to serve others for their spiritual well-being. LISTEN NOW

How Did We Get the Bible?

A Broadcast with Michael Kruger Why does the New Testament contain four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—but not the so-called gospel of Thomas? Today, Michael Kruger explains how we know that all the right books—and only the right books—made it into the Bible. LISTEN NOW

A Testimony of Faith

September 10, 2022

Acts 8:4-8; Acts 8:25-40 4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went through places preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming the Christ to them. 6 The crowds were paying attention with one mind to what was being said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. 7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed or limped on crutches were healed. 8 So there was much rejoicing in that city. 25 So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. 26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get ready and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27 So he got ready and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” 30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to slaughter; And like a lamb that is silent before its shearer, So He does not open His mouth. 33 In humiliation His justice was taken away; Who will describe His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth.” 34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. 36 As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he ordered that the chariot stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.   Many believers consider sharing faith with others a scary endeavor. The example of a faithful witness can be encouraging and motivating—and Philip is a wonderful model for us to emulate. He brought the good news of Jesus Christ to Samaria, where the crowd listened intently and many were baptized. Yet when God’s instructions redirected Philip to go speak to one particular man on a desert road, he willingly obeyed (Acts 8:26-27 above).  He carefully considered what to say and used the Scriptures to lead the traveler to salvation. Whether he was addressing large crowds or an individual, his words always pointed to Jesus Christ. Philip’s witness flowed from a life transformed by Christ, and that should be the same with us. He understood that God’s Word is the power for salvation. It’s not our eloquence that saves others, but God’s supernatural ability to open a heart to the message. As you approach different situations throughout the day, try to be like Philip. Recognize that the Lord will lead you to the people He wants you to speak with. Ask questions to open a door of opportunity, and courageously use the truths of Scripture to explain the gospel in an understandable way

Worship That Changes

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Philippians 3:7 Before meeting Christ, Paul could best be described as a “hit man” for the Pharisees. From Jerusalem, he traveled around the area arresting Jews who had become followers of Christ, taking them to jail (or worse—Acts 22:3-5). But all that changed when he met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.

As Paul and his associates traveled, a bright light from heaven caused Paul to fall to the ground (Acts 9:4). Falling to the ground is a posture in Scripture for worship (Revelation 1:17; 4:10; 5:8; 7:11; 19:10; 22:8). But Paul likely wasn’t worshiping; he was likely just shocked and scared. However, it became an image for what he would be doing for the rest of his life: bowing his knee to the Lord Jesus Christ in worship. He fell to the ground in literal fear, but he lived the rest of his life in reverential fear—that is, in worship. When he discovered the true object of worship, it changed his life. The more we worship our Triune God, the more our life will change. If it is not your practice already, worship on your knees and see how it changes your heart. What or whom we worship determines our behavior. John Murray David Jeremiah