Paul is just flat awesome! He calls life for what it is....like they say, "It is what it is". Gleanings from Colossians 2:13-23....
" Now here is the reason we were "Walking Dead" until we allowed the Lord Jesus to enter our lives.
We were dead to God because of sin. And it just wasn't being sinful either, we were actually a part of a whole different "creation"...the "Fallen Creation". This was a creation made entirely by sin and the nature of all this was that no one could ever make themselves right with God ever again...no matter if you wanted to, how hard you try, or any sacrifice. We were just too far gone, the rebellion had taken its toll...against God Himself...that is, until.....
He came! Our Messiah...the Lord Jesus! He gave Himself as a complete sacrifice for each of us and the "Dark Creation" we were bound to. We were under the "Grip of Death" itself....I'm talkin' Eternal Death here...until Christ came and set us totally free! He cut out the nature of sin in our hearts, and made us new and alive...in Him!
This "operation" proved a success. This old nature of sin wasn't just put into remission either, like some cancer treatment might be...no, this "eternal operation" completely removed any hint of sin and made us whole and complete in Him.
And the Cross, which was meant to be a degrading experience for the Lord Jesus, full of humiliation coupled with a total defeat...turned out quite the opposite. Christ Jesus totally disarmed the Devil and all his rebellious plan, exposing and shaming all the Devil's work and his entourage as well! Christ did this by His complete and total victory at the Cross!
It was Death himself and all of his dominion that was left barren and desolate! Now, all those who claim allegiance to the Dark Side are now made to "walk the streets" stripped and naked, thrown out of each of our hearts that were encased in sin....because we have cried out to the One who gave Himself for each of us...and provided a clear path to the Father...Jesus...our Messiah!
So, as a result of this electrifying news!!, we are not bound to making sacrifices "on the outside"...you know, like what types of food we are to eat or what type of drinks we choose. We also are no longer dependant on celebrating a certain holy day, new moon ceremonies, or even the Sabbath itself!
For all these were merely rules and shadows of the reality yet to come...and guess what...He came! The reality is this: Christ Jesus living in our very own hearts! He is the One that causes us to live holy lives (not just certain days or customs), and these holy lives we now live comes from our hearts...all this being made possible because of Him!
We no longer serve this Great God of ours simply because of laws stating for us to "do this or don't do that". So, don't let anyone "sell" you on some cultish ritual that tries to condemn you or sway you from the Truth of Jesus Christ. You have run into some of these characters, acting so pious in their self-denial...while their hearts are far from Him. And this latest fad...the angel thing...please!!...tell me, why in the world would we be sucked in to worshipping some "angel" in order to get some certain "favor" from the Lord...when we already have the King of Kings living in our hearts!, and through Him we have all the favors we could ever imagine from the Lord...because He lives in us! Also, there is someone always out there bragging about some "vision" they have had...don't buy into that either...it's nonsense...call it for what it is....some self-centered "bozo" with nothing more than self-centered desires.
Look, all those kind of people do not have Christ as their head, for you see, it is Christ only as our Head that supplies and knits together all of our joints and ligaments, and our growth is totally dependent on God Himself....not angels....not visions....not "do's and don'ts" that human religion has to offer...none of that stuff!
Here then lies our true belief in Him...our Lord Jesus! We don't give any adherence to all that useless gibberish we hear others try to proclaim....instead, take it where it truly belongs...in the trash! Don't tolerate anyone trying to tell you what you must "do" to get God's attention...it already has been done...His name...the Lord Jesus Christ!
Don't let anyone "bully" you into any of that garbage, no matter how impressive they may sound or how deep and booming their voice might be.
Believe me, they provide absolutely no help nor have any power whatsoever in conquering a person's evil and sinful desires.
There is only One
and He made a way for all of us...
seek after Him!
" Now here is the reason we were "Walking Dead" until we allowed the Lord Jesus to enter our lives.
We were dead to God because of sin. And it just wasn't being sinful either, we were actually a part of a whole different "creation"...the "Fallen Creation". This was a creation made entirely by sin and the nature of all this was that no one could ever make themselves right with God ever again...no matter if you wanted to, how hard you try, or any sacrifice. We were just too far gone, the rebellion had taken its toll...against God Himself...that is, until.....
He came! Our Messiah...the Lord Jesus! He gave Himself as a complete sacrifice for each of us and the "Dark Creation" we were bound to. We were under the "Grip of Death" itself....I'm talkin' Eternal Death here...until Christ came and set us totally free! He cut out the nature of sin in our hearts, and made us new and alive...in Him!
This "operation" proved a success. This old nature of sin wasn't just put into remission either, like some cancer treatment might be...no, this "eternal operation" completely removed any hint of sin and made us whole and complete in Him.
And the Cross, which was meant to be a degrading experience for the Lord Jesus, full of humiliation coupled with a total defeat...turned out quite the opposite. Christ Jesus totally disarmed the Devil and all his rebellious plan, exposing and shaming all the Devil's work and his entourage as well! Christ did this by His complete and total victory at the Cross!
It was Death himself and all of his dominion that was left barren and desolate! Now, all those who claim allegiance to the Dark Side are now made to "walk the streets" stripped and naked, thrown out of each of our hearts that were encased in sin....because we have cried out to the One who gave Himself for each of us...and provided a clear path to the Father...Jesus...our Messiah!
So, as a result of this electrifying news!!, we are not bound to making sacrifices "on the outside"...you know, like what types of food we are to eat or what type of drinks we choose. We also are no longer dependant on celebrating a certain holy day, new moon ceremonies, or even the Sabbath itself!
For all these were merely rules and shadows of the reality yet to come...and guess what...He came! The reality is this: Christ Jesus living in our very own hearts! He is the One that causes us to live holy lives (not just certain days or customs), and these holy lives we now live comes from our hearts...all this being made possible because of Him!
We no longer serve this Great God of ours simply because of laws stating for us to "do this or don't do that". So, don't let anyone "sell" you on some cultish ritual that tries to condemn you or sway you from the Truth of Jesus Christ. You have run into some of these characters, acting so pious in their self-denial...while their hearts are far from Him. And this latest fad...the angel thing...please!!...tell me, why in the world would we be sucked in to worshipping some "angel" in order to get some certain "favor" from the Lord...when we already have the King of Kings living in our hearts!, and through Him we have all the favors we could ever imagine from the Lord...because He lives in us! Also, there is someone always out there bragging about some "vision" they have had...don't buy into that either...it's nonsense...call it for what it is....some self-centered "bozo" with nothing more than self-centered desires.
Look, all those kind of people do not have Christ as their head, for you see, it is Christ only as our Head that supplies and knits together all of our joints and ligaments, and our growth is totally dependent on God Himself....not angels....not visions....not "do's and don'ts" that human religion has to offer...none of that stuff!
Here then lies our true belief in Him...our Lord Jesus! We don't give any adherence to all that useless gibberish we hear others try to proclaim....instead, take it where it truly belongs...in the trash! Don't tolerate anyone trying to tell you what you must "do" to get God's attention...it already has been done...His name...the Lord Jesus Christ!
Don't let anyone "bully" you into any of that garbage, no matter how impressive they may sound or how deep and booming their voice might be.
Believe me, they provide absolutely no help nor have any power whatsoever in conquering a person's evil and sinful desires.
There is only One
and He made a way for all of us...
seek after Him!
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