WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD...getting down to specifics

One of my favorite cartoons as a child was PEANUTS, you know with Charlie Brown, Linus, Luci, Snoopy and the gang. There is one cartoon episode that I remember where Linus tells Charlie Brown that he wants to be a doctor. Charlie Brown responds by telling Linus that he couldn't be a good doctor because he doesn't love humanity. I love the response of Linus...

"I love humanity! ...It's PEOPLE I can't stand!"

What a great reminder to me that when we talk about things in general, how easy it is to agree to any set of principles. But what happens when it comes to the specifics? Linus, in general, loved humanity but it was specifically the people he didn't like.

So far in our study of Colossians, Paul has been speaking mostly about generalities...

1. walking in a worthy manner
2. reconciliation
3. holding to the faith we have been taught
4. keeping God as our head

But as we go further into our study of the book of Colossians, we see Paul giving specific instructions to the Christians of Colossae:

• avoid sexual immorality
• impurity
• lust
• evil desire
• greed

Sometimes it is the "specifics" that can be the "rubber that meets the road" when it comes to walking in a worthy manner of the Lord.

We live in a society that makes it such a hard challenge because our culture is greatly obsessed with the very behaviours and attitudes that we, as Christians, are suppose to be avoiding. Living in the midst of such oppression and failure, we need a source of hope and help.

COLOSSIANS 3:1,2 "So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on earth."

The source of hope and help that we need is in Jesus Christ. As Paul instructs, we must set our minds on what is above. However, too many families are thriving on the opposite and setting their minds on what the world has to offer.

Last week I polled my readers in the YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL and asked the following question, "Which expression best describes the attitude toward Christ with which you were raised?" The top 3 responses were:

1. 40% of those voting, said their family relied on Him to pull them through tough times.
2. 20% voted and said that He was the center of their family.
3. Another 20% polled said that they sought to honor and obey Him.

A few other votes that did not make my top 3 but yet bothered me, were those that voted and said they knew of Christ but ignored him or worse yet, His name was only mentioned in the cussing in their home. This poll revealed to me that Christ was NOT the center of our homes when we grew up.

There are specifics or what I call "standards" outlined in the Bible that we as Christians should strive to obey and we must teach them to our children. Paul gives 3 things to help us:

1. DIE TO SELF

MATTHEW 10:39 "Anyone finding his life will lose it, and

anyone losing his life because of Me will find it."

Dying to self means that we no longer focus primarily on what benefits us but what benefits Christ. Turning away from lust and greed is not always an easy task. However, having discipline to focus on Christ will help because what we focus on will determine our actions.

Similar to dieting, one who is dieting would be wise to not focus solely on the foods they are giving up - this will cause us to fail. But success comes when we focus on the healthy foods. Likewise if we focus on what exalts Christ and not on what satisfies our selfish nature, we won't be consumed with what our self must give up.

2. LETTING CHRIST COME ALIVE IN US

The presence of Christ within us gives us an inner spiritual strength that we wouldn't otherwise have.

PHILIPPIANS 4:13 "I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me"

ALL THINGS includes being able to resist those things that Paul refers to such as lust and greed.
3. SETTING SPIRITUAL GOALS

Having victory over the things of the flesh is not just about what to avoid, but also what we should seek. Paul calls us to "seek" and "set our minds" on what is above. That means that we need to set totally different goals than what our society encourages us to set.

We are good at setting goals...

• I want to lose 10 pounds
• I want to be a millionaire
• I want to have children
• I want to get married
• I want a new car

Over time, we can usually hit the targets that we aim for. As Christians, we must aim for nothing less than a life that pleases God.

WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE?

Do you have a spiritual plan of action?

As Paul gives us specifics on Christian living, it is my desire to be set apart. One way that I can focus on my spiritual plan is to create a mission statement for my personal life as well as my ministry. Having specific plans will enable me to live out the teaching of Paul ..."set your minds on what is above."

I have been studying the book of Colossians and this midweek study is a reflection of what Paul has taught me this week. Thank you for joining me. Now go and write out your mission statement!

PLEASE TAKE TIME TO VOTE IN THIS WEEK'S POLL...
Your opinion will show up in next week's study ~ vote on the side bar of this blog. Your opinion REALLY does matter!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...unwrapping Christmas

~THE PERFECT GIFT~

We scramble from store to store, mall to mall, sale to sale to find that perfect gift. Oh the hustle and bustle of Christmas Shopping!

The battle of Christmas shopping is not in the shopping part as it is in the "what in the world should I get?" part. Knowing what to buy is half the battle. You can sail clearly thru your shopping list if you know ahead of time what you are looking for.

Have you ever wandered around in the stores aimlessly, hoping something will jump right off of the shelf and knock you over.

"Buy me! Buy me!"

That's what all of the shelves at the stores would be saying to you if they could talk. And just like dummies....we listen and fall into the trap of buying presents that Cousin "Jim Bob" will either hate or he won't need.

It seems like the focus of Christmas has become all about the PRESENTS. We are so busy shopping from store to store to find that perfect present. Once we find "the perfect present", we then become consumed with the wrapping of the present. The paper, the gift bag, the bow, the name tag. Everything about the present seems to consume us.

• What would happen if we took all of that "Present-finding" energy and put it towards finding God's PRESENCE in our Christmas?
• What a blessing if we took all of that "Present-spending" money and invested in God's PRESENCE by supporting the local church or a missionary.
• What would it be like if we took such care of the "Spiritual Gifting" that God has bestowed upon us and used it to glorify His PRESENCE?

Which are you consumed with...the presents or His Presence?

JAMES 1:17a "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above"

WHAT WILL YOU UNWRAP FOR CHRISTMAS?

And that is a piece of my heart today;

AT THE WELL...submissive to my man

LAURIE ANN is our host today over AT THE WELL. The women are gathered around the well discussing what the meaning behind Titus 2 is all about. Does it really say we are to be "subject" to our husbands? To hear more of the chatter about this subject, stroll on over to A MAGNOLIA'S HEART BEAT aka Laurie Ann's place as she leads us in the following discussion:

• Would others view you as being subject to your husband?


• Does the phrase "being subject to your husband" bring to mind positive or negative thoughts?


• Do you find being subject to your husband an easy command to obey or a hard one to follow?


• How can you teach other women to be subject to their husbands?

_____________________________________

EPHESIANS 5:22 " Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord."

Now here is a verse in the Bible that is recited over and over. Unfortunately, over the years I have heard this particular passage misused, most of the time it is in fun, poking fun that the woman should do whatever the husband wants. (of course we know how far fetched that can be!)

In all honesty, putting all kidding aside ~ there is truth to the woman being submissive. But you cannot stop at just reading this one passage...there is so much more in understanding what it means to be submissive!

When we read Ephesians 5:22, some will assume that this means women have no say in family matters or that their opinion is second-rate. This verse, taken out of context, has been twisted to mean that the husband is the boss and the woman must obey his every whim. We portray marriage as a hierarchy, with husbands on the throne and wives at the footstool.

This is not a Christian view of marriage at all!

The first rule of understanding the Bible is looking at ALL of Scripture, to clarify the meaning of a particular text. So before we can understand this one particular verse, we must look at what the Bible in general teaches about submission and authority.

More than once, Jesus taught that a true leader in the kingdom of God is a servant. He said the greatest must be the least. He told His disciples that they must become as children. He said in Mark 10:44 that "whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all."

So, how do we apply this passage to marriage?

Certainly it should be clear that if a man is called to lead a family, his leadership must be Christlike.

• He must serve, not dictate.
• He must display humility, not a know-it-all attitude.
• He must lead from a position of meekness, not from prideful superiority.

To understand Paul's teaching on marriage in Ephesians chapter 5, we must start with verse 21:

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (NIV)

In a loving marriage, a man and woman will submit to one another as they make decisions. Paul encourages all believers to submit to one another "in fear of the Christ". He is promoting an attitude of submissiveness in the entire church, thus, Paul instructs the wives to submit to their husbands, husbands to wives, children to parents and slaves to masters.

Submission, not in the sense of domination or rulership over another, but in the sense of preferring one another and not demanding personal rights, should be operating in the entire body of Christ in order to reveal the love of Christ to the world.

The Greek word for submission is "HUPOTASSO". Meaning: something that an individual imposes upon himself or herself. It means to choose to yield to another, rather than demanding one's own way.

Submission remains the freewill right of the one choosing to yield. It cannot be demanded or imposed upon from one person to another. When this occurs, it stops being "hupotasso" and becomes domination.

The theme of marriage in the Bible is that of unity and oneness. Couples should develop a deep level of intimacy and trust that blossoms as they work out differences, share dreams and walk through hardships together.

The charge is not just to the wives, but Paul also instructs the husbands: "this is how you love your wives, by giving up your life, your way and your rights, as Christ gave up His."

Christ was Lord of the universe and laid down His crown by submitting Himself unto death. The Bible says He took on the form of a servant. He laid down His life to raise us up.

THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF BIBLICAL SUBMISSION.

Now, that we understand what it means to submit to our husbands..what about those questions that Laurie Ann just HAD to ask:

In the past 27 years I would have to be honest and say that I have not always been a "submissive" wife. First of all, I did not understand the meaning and second of all, I have some mean polish blood in me! As I have studied the meaning of my role as a submissive wife, I see that I am to "prefer" my husband and I need to "choose" to be united with him.

PREFER? like prefer him over Tom Cruise or what?

No silly!

Preferring our husbands would be to honor him, obey him and encourage him in EVERYTHING he does. Respecting him as the man of your home, the spiritual leader of your home and telling him (verbally and physically) that he is the man of your dreams!

To do anything less would make it difficult to be united. So the next time someone pokes fun at women being submissive... don't grit your teeth or roll your eyes. Remember that God has placed a call on you as a godly wife to PREFER and SERVE your husband (or SUBMIT...whichever word suits you!)

"Making marriage work is like running a farm. You have to start all over again each morning!" - AUTHOR UNKNOWN

NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Go and do some "preferring" on your farm... (I mean ...at your house!)

Go ahead and jump over to Laurie Ann's place and see what all of the other ladies are saying about this topic today. You will be blessed. Find the chatter over HERE!

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY...O' Holy Night

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

• What it would be like to await the arrival of the coming King?
• What the excitement and anticipation must have felt like?
• Did the whole world stop in that instance when Christ was born?

WHAT PREPARATION WOULD YOU HAVE MADE?

• Would you have prepared a meal for Mary and Joseph?
• Would the fine bedding be brought out with the hand carved cradle?
• Would you pace the floor awaiting His birth?

Who knows what we would have done on the night of His birth. Knowing that the Savior was born, I could think of only one thing I could do and that would be to fall on my knees. I would fall on my knees in wonder, in awe and in worship!

One of my favorite songs at Christmas is "O Holy Night", I have always wondered why we only sing it at Christmas time though because it so beautifully depicts what that night must have been like...

• Oh how Holy the atmosphere must have been.
• Oh how bright the stars must have shone.
• Oh how thrilling to know that hope had come.
• Oh what a night when Christ was born!

Nobody can sing this beautiful song like David Phelps. Play the following video and see if you are not compelled to fall on your knees:

O HOLY NIGHT - by David Phelps

O holy night

The stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til he appeared and the soul felt His worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born.
O holy night -O night -O night divine!

WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU

FELL ON YOUR KNEES?

AMY is hosting THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY, click HERE to visit her. It is there that you will find alot of worshipping going on.

TELL IT THE WAY IT IS...

The Truth cannot be seen by the
unbeliever if we sugar coat everything

a duck is a duck, no matter how you dress it
~if it waddles, if it quacks and if it has webbed feet...most likely it is a duck!

Sometimes, as depicted in this cartoon...a sheep is nothing more than a sheep!

THE SAME IS TRUE FOR SIN!

sin is sin, no matter how you disguise it
~if it goes against Gods Word and His design...then it is sin.

period.
end of discussion.

JOHN 8:31b, 32 "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; (32) and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE
TO TELL IT THE WAY IT IS!

Who can you share the Truth with today?

THANKFUL THURSDAY...waiting

HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING?
Waiting is not something we often enjoy.

In fact, we live in a 'NOW' world.
fast food, fast cars, fast everything!

• Do you normally enjoy waiting in a traffic jam?
• Does it amuse you to wait for an elevator?
• When you wake up in the morning, do you look forward to the wait at the subway?
• Do you enjoy watching the clothes in your dryer finishing the 'dry' cycle?

Most of us do not enjoy waiting on these things because it requires a forced pause in our lives. It is valuable time wasted while we do nothing.

Doing nothing.

That sums up my waiting period as I recover from surgery.

Waiting.

I am just waiting.

~Waiting to go back to work.

~Waiting to feel strong again.

~Waiting to hear the final doctors report.

Waiting seems like wasted time.

DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT WAITING FOR GOD?

The Bible tells us that His timing is not our timing...it is higher, better and more productive. Waiting doesn't always feel that way though, it can leave us...fidgeting, fretting and pacing.

Unlike the traffic jams, the subway rides, the stuck elevators and the damp laundry, waiting on God is never a waste of time. So instead of wringing my hands and wondering when God will decide to move on my behalf, I just want to thank Him.

I want to give Him praise for His faithfulness, for His promises, for His grace and for His love.

I give Him thanks for giving me the opportunity to prepare my heart for the changes that His answer is going to bring to me.

I just want to THANK HIM! It's true, waiting can be tough -but waiting for God can be such a blessing in disguise.

It can be a catalyst for what you need to...

• receive His best answer
• in His best way
• in His perfect timing!

AREN'T YOU THANKFUL FOR WHAT AWAITS YOU?

PSALM 37:4 " Delight yourself also in
the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

IRIS is our host for THANKFUL THURSDAY, please join her and the other thankful participants by clicking HERE! You will find a whole lot of grateful hearts over there....

WEDNESDAYS WEEKLY WORD...Who's in charge here?

We missed WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD last week because of the holiday but I am glad to get back into the study of Colossians. If this is your first time here... on Wednesdays we review the Bible Study that I am currently studying. Currently, I am being taught by Paul and the Christians at Colossae. Come join me and we can take the journey together....

HOW CAN WE KEEP THE CHURCH

OF CHRIST ACTING AS A BODY?

It starts with making sure the church remains connected to the head.

There is an old comedy series that I used to like to watch on television, Third Rock from the Sun. In this show, a group of aliens would spy on earthlings and then report their findings to a leader called "the Big Giant Head". The completion of their mission on earth depended on regular contact with this "Big Giant Head".

If you think about it, this is exactly the equivalent of what Paul calls us to do in Scripture. In all that we do we, as the body of Christ, are to keep in touch with Christ, who is our Head.

Failing to keep in touch with the Head (Christ), will lead us to forget who is in charge and this will lead others to use their control to lead us astray. When Christ is left out of our lives, a huge void is planted and it doesn't take much for someone or something to fill that void.

"Take charge of your life!"

This is what society tells us. The problem is that when we take control of our lives without the direction and leading of God, we can be quickly directed by sin. Some people allow their friends and their co-workers to direct their lives. They allow themselves to be judged by the values and principles of others. This will lead to a kind of slavery to the other person because we are always trying to measure up and win their approval.

Two weeks ago, in the YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question: "In what area of behaviour do you feel others are most likely to judge you?". The top 3 answers were:

1. 57% of those polled, said that they would be judged by their appearance (looks, weight, etc.)
2. 21% of the readers voted and said that what they ate or drink would be judged by others.
3. 14% voted and said that they would be judged in some other way by others.

This poll reveals to me that we are people who either are currently being judged or fear we will be judged by others. There is only One who can judge us accordingly and that is Christ. However, we cannot make Christ Head of our lives if we have already given this "judging" power to someone else.

COLOSSIANS 2:18, 19 "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind. (19) and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God."

To walk in a manner worthy of our Lord, we must make Christ the undisputed Head of our lives!

WE MUST HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION
It is easy to make a plan and set goals:

...when going on a diet
avoid certain foods, lower calorie intake, exercise

...when we want to strengthen our marriage
make a date, communicate more, send flowers

...when you desire to be a better parent
spend more time with the kids, talk with them about their day

Making the plan is sometimes easier than keeping the plan!

So how do you make a plan of action when the goal is to keep Christ as Head of your life?
It seems a little too abstract.

Develop goals such as:
~avoid others to determine your "do's" and "don'ts"
~seek God's direction in all things
~compare what others say to what God's Word says
~evaluate the motive behind actions of others, does it lead you to Christ?
~begin each day with Christ (in prayer, in reading the Word, in stillness)

Splitting the role of "Who's in charge" between God and yourself or between God and others will not work.

COLOSSIANS 2:20-22 "If you died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to decrees such as: (21) 'Don't handle, don't taste, don't touch'? (22) All these refer to what is destroyed by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines."

Paul reminds us that there is only One who can be in charge and He is the Head, not only in the church body but He needs to be the Head of our lives!

WHO HAVE YOU PLACED IN CHARGE?

These are my thoughts as I study the book of Colossians. It is my prayer that this week before you make any decisions, that you will ask yourself, "Who am I thinking about pleasing when I make this decision? -Is it a parent? A spouse? A friend? Or is it Christ? Is this what Jesus would have me do?" Doing this will allow all of us to make clearer decisions led by our Head, Jesus Christ.

YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL: Please take time to vote in this week's poll. It is located on the side bar of this blog. Your opinion really does matter!!