Moments to Ponder
Pondering is a lost practice today.
The idea that we might actually take a few moments to think deeply about anything seems indulgent in our busy, full schedules. Yet, our souls crave rest and space to breathe, process our lives, choices, and walk with Jesus. I invite you to join me fora few moments to take in Scripture and take away a few thoughts to ponder throughout your day.
Moments to Ponder
Episode 7: Don't Go Back Home (Colossians 3:1-11)
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Welcome to Episode 7 of our series through Colossians, today we will focus on Colossians 3:1-11.
We have a new creation life that is continually renewed into the likeness of the One who created us.
I encourage you to get comfy, breathe, and spend a couple minutes in quiet before we begin. Afterwards, take a few moments to ponder.
0:05 Welcome And Habit Stories
0:45 Retraining The Brain With Shoelaces
2:06 New Identity In Christ Introduced
3:00 Seeking Things Above In Colossians 3
4:14 Confronting Idols: Sex And Money
5:16 The Harder List: Speech And Anger
6:42 Renewing The Mind vs Culture
7:33 Compartmentalizing Faith And Behavior
8:40 Heart Change Before Behavior Change
10:26 Continual Renewal And Equal Welcome
12:17 Nothing To Prove, Only To Receive
13:43 Pruning Habits And Walking In Truth
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Hi friends, I'm Betsy, and I want to welcome you to Moments to Ponder. This podcast is designed to help you spend a few moments in God's Word and take away something to ponder. It's my prayer that you will find encouragement as we spend time together today. This is episode 7. I was talking with someone the other day that had recently moved. She was saying that she found herself almost to her old home after work before she realized I don't live there anymore. We laughed as I shared that I had done the same thing when we moved into our house. Habits. We have so many, don't we? Take tying your shoes. Do you even think about it anymore? It's pretty automatic. About a year ago or so, I learned that if you tie your shoelaces in a certain way, they don't come untied. No double knot needed. I wanted to see if it actually worked. And it did. So I decided I wanted to retrain my brain to tie my shoes in this new way. I had to consciously think about how I was tying my shoes, which actually made me laugh at myself. It's amazing how ingrained tying our shoes is. But because I really wanted to do this, I stuck at it. Now I know this is small, but it was a lesson for me. We can renew our minds. I now tie my shoes this new way without even thinking. Now, whether it's a new daily route to drive or new way to tie shoes, new habits are hard to form because the ruts in our brains can be set so deep. The longer the habit, the deeper the rut. In an earlier episode, I mentioned that Paul wrote his letters for two reasons: encouragement and correction. As we come into chapter 3, it's time for the correction, the instruction part of the letter to the church in Colossae. He has written of the deity of Jesus and new life in him. He's called out the misguided teaching around them. But how do they live in this new way? To the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. And that's where it starts. These new believers have some habits, ideas, ingrained cultural thinking that doesn't align with their new lives in Jesus. As new creations filled with the Spirit, their lifestyles and habits need to reflect the new spirit within them. They need to make some changes so their lives reflect the change in their hearts. In Colossians 3:1, he begins this way. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that's where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor, and authority. Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities and not with the distractions of the natural realm. Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God, in Christ. And as Christ Himself is seen for who he really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with him in his glory. When we choose Jesus, we are given a new identity, free from the power of Satan. We are made completely new by our union with him and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Verse 3 states that our life is truly hidden away in God, in Christ. We are hidden with him. This makes us safe, secure, concealed, protected. And with that in mind, Paul continues in verse 5. Live as one who has died to every form of sexual sin and impurity. Live as one who died to diseases and desires for forbidden things, including the desire for wealth, which is the essence of idol worship. When you live in these vices, you ignite the anger of God against these acts of disobedience. Because we are one with Christ, we need to live in Him. So Paul calls out this Christian community by naming two areas that honestly are still cultural and spiritual issues today sex and money. These have become areas of compromise, tension, and in many ways idols. They can lead to addictions, consuming behaviors, and broken lies that usurp God's place on the throne of our hearts. And Paul doesn't stop there. He continues in verse 7, That's how you once behaved, characterized by your evil deeds, but now it's time to eliminate them from your lives once and for all. Anger, fits of rage, all forms of hatred, cursing, filthy speech, and lying. Lay aside your old Adam self with its masquerade and disguise. The first list of actions from Paul, the sexual sin, idolatry, and greed, they are pretty obvious to us as not being Christ-like. Yet this second list is harder. Anger, hate, lying, cursing, filthy language, rage. I think there are a lot of people who believe in Christ who see anger, hate, and rage as sin, harmful against God's will, but with lying and cursing and filthy language, there seems to be a lot more leeway. So often we can tend to think that those things don't matter as much. For instance, there's a term, little white lie. But can a lie be white? Movies and music are filled with cursing and filthy language, and we tend to brush it off. Yet, how often does that language then leak into our conversations? Or how often do we use that language because we want to seem socially relevant? How often do you say, I hate? And although we are new and hidden in Him, as new creations, we have work to do to renew our minds, focusing on Christ-like things and eliminating old habits for new ones. And this is hard. To the Romans, Paul says it this way: stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God's will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes. I think one way we deal with this is compartmentalizing. How often have you compartmentalized your life? Adjusting how you behave depending on where you are and who you're with. A simple example might be you curse around some people, but not around others. You are so capable of self-control in your speech, but you compartmentalize your language depending on your audience because of the culture around you. I mean, we learned this at a young age. We're in one way at school, another way at home. And sadly, this has led to compartmentalizing Jesus into a faith box. We try to hide from rather than hide in Jesus. Verse 9 tells us to lay aside your old Adam self with its masquerade and disguise. I mean, let's be honest, we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have work to do when it comes to living like Jesus. Our behaviors say so much about us, and we've learned how to wear disguises, masks. This is one area that we can't really fake it till we make it. We have to go after living in truth. I had my ministry students learn this statement. Heart change brings behavior change. Over and over I've watched people seek to change a behavior without dealing with the heart behind it. Thus the change doesn't last. This goes back to the roots we talked about in episode 5 and 155. We can trim a tree and cut off diseased limbs, but if we don't deal with the roots, the tree will continue to live with disease and infect other limbs. But when we go beneath the surface and heal the roots, the whole tree is healthier. It's the same with us. When the heart truly changes, lasting behavior change follows. Just like the tree, we need to prune off the practices that destroy and add consistent daily decisions so that we're healthier. And in this, we need to go after roots. Habits. A deep personal relationship with God through Jesus can and should transform every area of our lives. This is the seeping out from his inner spirit in you, into your soul, and then into your body, your behaviors. Your new creation self should live in a way that supports and matches your faith, and that's what makes it so hard. Basically, if you're a Jesus follower, you should live like it. For example, when our hearts decide that our words are a representation of Jesus in us, then our outward language naturally follows. Verse 10. For you have acquired new creation life, which is continually being renewed into the likeness of the one who created you, giving you the full revelation of God. In this new creation life, your nationality makes no difference, or your ethnicity, education, or economic status. They matter nothing. For it is Christ that means everything as he lives in every one of us. Verse 10 again. Think of this as taking off the old filthy clothes of sin and putting on the fresh, clean white robes of Jesus. Notice the words continually being renewed. God knows this is a process, and we need continual renewing as we learn to become more like Jesus. It's as if Jesus is saying, Give me that robe. I'll do the laundry, I'll wash it, I'll keep it clean for you. I know you're gonna stumble and fall from time to time, but I have plenty of robes. Paul also makes it clear that this new creation life is for everyone. All are welcome in the family of God. Christ breaks down all barriers and accepts all people who come to him. And this includes you. We all fall short. That's what makes rules and rituals so attractive. We want to earn or prove that we can become better. But what's amazing is that we're already new when we place our faith in him. We have nothing to prove. When God sees you, he sees Jesus, white robe, flawless, pure, and perfect. There's nothing to prove. Just receive. Put on the robe, no matter how unworthy you feel. In this new creation life, your nationality makes no difference. Or your ethnicity, education, or economic status. They matter nothing because of Jesus. And out of what we have received, we discover that how he calls us to live changes everything. Out of love for him, what he's done, our gratitude is seen in our behavior and love of others. You are God's masterpiece. And like this church, we do need instruction and correction so that we can continually renew into his likeness. Well, maybe you have some pruning to do. Or a habit that needs elimination. Is there a new priority you need to add to your day? Are there words that you need to remove from your vocabulary? As you ponder that, remember you have the robes of Jesus. You are absolute perfection in him. Flawless, without mistake or defect, unmarred, unrivaled, virgin pure. No wonder heaven applauds when you wake up. A masterpiece is stirring. May you walk in that truth today. Amen.