Colossians 3 Pt. 2

In Pt. 1, I discussed Colossians 3:1-4 and the connection to Ephesians 1:17-19.

Here's the next section from Colossians 3:

5 ¶ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
8 ¶ But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Again I am called to make a choice. A choice to refuse to be satisfied in anything except Christ; to not drink of any other well in order to numb the pain of life. Paul seems to make two lists or categories: the first appears to be the non-verbal and the second appears distinctly verbal.  My personal thought is that the first produces the second.  As we engage in the activities of the 'earthly nature', our speech patterns are dynamically affected.

The question becomes, how on earth can I possibly makes these choices? How can I on a daily basis rid myself of these things? Surely it can't be the power of my own discipline. I have realized that I simply cannot do it.

I made the point previously that wherever God gives an exhortation to do something, there is a corresponding grace available to us to enable us to obey.  Here's what I mean:  God is telling me to put to death the elements of the earthly nature in v. 5-8, and the key to being able to actually DO that is found in v. 1-2.  (I also believe that a critical part of v. 1-2 is described in Eph. 1-17-19)

Another massive line of thinking is found in Col. 3:10.  I'm a big revival and renewal guy.  I love renewal.  Mostly when we think of renewal we think of events like the Toronto Blessing. Believe me, I loved the renewal that came through the Blessing, and I pray that God would release a new installment of that, but Col. 3:10 speaks volumes to the renewal that is available to me on a DAILY basis.

Paul is saying this: I am spiritually renewed by the knowledge of who God is and what God is like.  

In v. 10 I see Paul connecting back to v. 1-2.  When I set my mind and heart on things above, where Christ is seated, my spirit will be touched and renewed, and the more I do it, the more renewal I will experience.  Given that there's no limits to the 'things above', this could really go somewhere!!

In a sense, the dynamics of this verse remain a mystery.  I don't get caught up in the 'how' of it, but rather I seek to take God at His word, that I will experience a spiritual renewal whenever I encounter the truth about what God is like.

One practical way that I have been doing that recently is by adding this verse to my prayer list and by turning it into a daily request.  I connect it to v. 1-2 and bring those verses into the prayers as well.  Then I can't help but go on to praying v. 5-10 too!

So those are a few more of my thoughts on Colossians 3.