WHANM A New Man

Wednesday Has A New Meaning:
Put on a New Man

Hope you got the chance to attend church or a small group meeting tonight. If not, hope you enjoy what I learnt in my Bible study.

Colossians 3:1-17

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of 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 communication out of your mouth. 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, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what is to put on the "New Man". How hard that sometimes can be but how rewarding it is when we do. Have you ever been worried what people will think of you? Your friends? Family or employers? Sometimes, I worry about losing people who will no longer be interested in what I am doing putting on this New Man and put away the Old Man.

The thing is, when we put on the New Man, we are identifying ourselves with Christ. We are saying the Lord is our Saviour and he is who we serve. Although this doesn't make us perfect, it gets us to where God wants us to be. In the midst of others who also love Christ who can encourage us, lead us and make us aware of things we are doing wrong. It also says to anyone around us who don't believe in Christ - that is how we believe, this is our life and what we live for. You know sometimes the person you think who is least interested in your faith is the one who observing you and seeking Christ in you, a new hope, something they don't have.

It's not easy to do. It is not an easy world to live in where people think you're a bad person or close minded if you 100% believe in what you do. When someone approaches me and tells me I should be "open minded" and agree with what other people believe in, that is right for them, and this is right for me..I just tell them:

"That would suggest what is good for me - is not good enough for all, and I believe that Jesus Christ as a sacrifice was sufficient for all. If I were to believe that what you believe is right for you - then I would be saying that He is not the way, truth, or the life and that anyone can come to Him, as long as it works for them. I respect that you believe different, but I do not agree with it."

Many times we ARE saying that, with our actions by living in the Old Man, in the previous life we had before we knew Christ or the life we know we shouldn't be living. We are saying "This is good for me, that that is good for you." Which is so untrue.

Do not worry, in his word and in this chapter even we are given clear instructions on what we should and shouldn't be doing and we are given a way to live. Not just "You should be living this way.." but more like "here is how you can live this way.." and what I got from it was to stay hopeful and focus on the things of Heaven and God and what is really important. The things that are eternal..not of this earth. And to stand firm knowing(studying God's word - so really, really knowing) that we made new in Him. That He as our creator made us new when we accepted Him as our Saviour and that He is in us. To forgive others, not to spend time being bitter or proud or stubborn but to forgive those against us or who have wronged us, for us to ask the same when we wrong someone and to use our energy to dwell together in the peace and love that God gives us. To rejoice together! Sing unto the Lord, thank Him and spend time with others who push us to be more like Him, who push us to be the New Man.