For which things' sake the wrath
or God cometh on the children
of disobedience; in the which
ye also walked some time,
when ye lived in them. But now
ye also put off all these; anger, wrath,
malice, blasphemy, filthy
communications out of your mouth.
Colossians 3:6-8
Prior to this verse the children of God are admonished to mortify themselves against those things that are offensive to God and even though many of them, and of you, have walked in such things are no longer to walk in them. This disobedience to God is not going to be left to continue in the time of His visitation to bring His children home to be with Him. Until that time, all the children of God have other things that need to be mortified: anger, wrath,
malice, blasphemy, filthy communications out of your mouth. These things have hold on people sometimes harder than outright sins. Anger is one such hard thing to remove for it is easy to be angry at things that a person thinks or holds as wrong, or being wrong to them. The KKK is one such group that show anger against Negro people, they wear sheets with holes for eyes so no one will know who they are, sure.....the locals know, can't hide ones prejudice for long. Maybe a person is angry at their spouse for things that are not sins: i.e., adultery, or fornication (looking at porn on the internet), but because he or she did not do what the other wanted even if that is all it is: a want. Maybe the children are acting out, that is, doing and saying things because they do not to get their way. The problem is the children, but the problem is deeper for it reaches down into the means and methods the parent(s) allow: i.e., for girls to show as much skin as possible, for boys to grow hair long and and rings in their ears, all so they can be in the "in" crowd. Maybe the anger is over the bills, especially hard is to pay for a car that was more expensive than it should be, but it looks nice, and the neighbors may think that you are financially set, but in fact this bill is not being paid on time and one spouse blames another when in fact this may be true but is not being handled by both to eliminate this stress so anger. This is covetousness, or to want to be like some celebrity who holds a place in a person's heart and desire so that in actuality that celebrity is an idol. Idols come in all sorts of manner and must be eliminated by a person claiming to be a child of God.
Now, many of us have walked this walk of disobedience, but now, we are born again Christians and are to convert our lives to conform to the words of God that are for our benefit and not harm. We have to mortify our desires to be disobedient, this is called sanctification. Sanctification may be progressive but it must progress if it is truly from a repentant heart.
To live as one who is something when in fact that is not true is a lie and Paul continues: "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all in all" Colossians 3:9-11).
Jesus Christ created all things that exist in this natural world and in the spiritual world of angels. The only thing that is not created is God who is the One who creates all things. You are one of those creations by Jesus Christ. Not that you were specially created as Adam was, no, but created by the means of creation through the creation of woman and man to produce more people. Furthermore, you have been given, and have available, God's word so that there is no excuse for you have the knowledge, the knowledge of the will of God. By faith in God, in His Son Jesus Christ who is the Savior sent to earth to pay this debt all men owe to God and are in need of a new birth, to become a new man, or woman, and by your repentance, and faith you have become that new man. Therefore, as a new man, no longer an old man who lives in disobedience, you live now in the image of God, growing in this image, removing all those things of disobedience.
God loves His children so much that He has given in writing, the Bible, what man needs to live according to His will. This love is a love so great that it loves those who are unlovable and are sinners. No matter your past, God loves you and you then when you have put on the new man show love back to the God who created you, teaches you, and is with you by means of the Holy Spirit living in you. What more can be said? Love, a great love, will you love God back? Will you end that old man and live the life of the new man?
Offer unto God thanksgiving;
and pay thy vows unto the
most High: and call upon me
in th day of trouble: I will
deliver thee, and you shalt
glorify me.
Psalm 50:14-15
Today: Glorify God: Don't wait do it!
Richard L. Crumb
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