Verse: "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him." Colossians 2:6 HCSB
NIV (v.6-10) "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. "
MSG (v.6-10) "My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything."
This moment begins yet another day in our journey of life... but are we living that life with Jesus? Today has as much potential as you do, there again is a choice to make how we choose to live it. Will we choose to walk in thanksgiving, forgiveness, love, mercy, joy, humbleness, peace, praise, worship, spiritual abundance, faith & with authority (as Jesus walked)? Or will we choose to conform to the world and walk in pride, bitterness, hate, greed, anger, sadness, battles raging, spiritual poverty, listening to the voices of the world, looking at circumstances around us?
Today is a FRESH, new slate... a new page in your notebook of life, or as the author in today's devotional put it, "a new canvas upon which you can compose a beautiful work of art if you choose to do so." (Day 39) Will we let the world throw it's negative graffiti all over our canvas, or will we allow the Master to 'finger-paint' and create a beautiful masterpiece. When we choose to walk how Jesus walked, we are truly representing the King as His ambassadors. We become His hands and His feet to this dark, dying world. If and when they see our thanksgiving, love, mercy, joy, humbleness, peace, praise, worship, spiritual abundance, faith, authority and more -- they will see the love of Jesus reflected through us, and want what we have. They will desire the way that we overcome our circumstances through our faith, and the joy that overflows to them will be the joy of the Lord.
But, this all may sound beautiful, walking as Jesus walked, but Jesus also received temptation, by which He used to Word of God mightily to defend against the wiles of the devil. We too need to have head and heart knowledge of God's Word, so that it may be ready on our lips. ("Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you." Proverbs 22:17-19 NIV) Jesus also denied himself, and took up the cross. "...Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:34-35 NIV)
...so the next step is yours, and yours alone (and mine too - I am speaking to myself as well) Will you walk the path that Jesus walked? Or will you take the easy, wide road? (To learn more about the 2 roads, read Matthew 7:13-14) Remember, you won't be alone on the road... and that God is always with you & His Spirit is here on the earth to help lead, guide, direct and comfort you.
"Let us never suppose that ovedience is impossible or that holiness is meant only for a select few. Our Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness -- not for our name's sake but for His." ~Elisabeth Elliot
So as our verse in the MESSAGE translation said above, '...quit studying it, and start living it!'
BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!
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