Colossians 3:8-10

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Personal Challenge

Paul does not pull any punches to the Christians in Colosse. He is addressing the issues that have made their way into this early church. It is interesting to see how many of these same issues have made their way into so many churches of today. If we desire to truly be followers of Christ, then it is incumbent upon us to take these same guidelines to heart in our daily lives. If I am a real follower of Christ and not just a person that has donned the moniker of “Christian”, then I will be putting off these human traits: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying to one another, and mistreating others in categories different than myself. If I am indeed a new person in Christ, then I will love my God and my neighbor in ways that are clearly obvious and uniquely different than the rest of the world. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 6:18-19

My son, from your youth up, choose instruction,
And you will find wisdom also into old age.
Come to her as one who plows and sows,
And wait expectantly for her good fruits;
For in her work you will labor a little while,
Then you will quickly eat of her fruit.

Personal Challenge

We live in a time where so many people believe that they are the expert and no longer need any additional instruction. We can always use more teaching and guidance in our lives. Sirach reminds us how important it is to seek that instruction from Wisdom (an image of Christ in the Old Testament). If we seek Wisdom, we will find it, even in our old age. We must come to Wisdom as a farmer, one who plows and sows the furrows of our minds and intellect, to secure the best fruits. Through our labor and hard work in Wisdom, we will be rewarded and feed at the banquet, Glory be to God!

Colossians 3:5

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Personal Challenge

As I navigate through various social media sites, I have become very aware of how many people have been hurt by people who proclaim that they are Christians. How sad it will be for them. when they stand before their proclaimed Lord and are reminded that they did not love their neighbor as He expected them to. Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to love God and our neighbor. Who is our neighbor? Every human being, especially the widow, the orphan, the naked, the poor, and the alien amongst us. This is what we will be judged on, not now many nasty posts we made in the virtual world or saintly hymns that we sang all the while verbally abusing those who don’t think the way that we do. This is why Paul instructed the Colossians, and us, to put to death the ways of the world and to embrace a kingdom way of being. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner and help me to show that mercy to my fellow neighbor!

Sirach 6:14-17

A faithful friend is a strong shelter,
And he who finds one finds a treasure.
There is nothing that can take the place of a faithful friend,
And there is no way to measure his worth.
A faithful friend is a medicine of life,
And those who fear the Lord will find him.
He who fears the Lord guides his friendship rightly,
Because as he is, so also is his neighbor.

Personal Challenge

Sirach reminds us how valuable it is to have a faithful friend in our lives. It is important to remember that to have a faithful friend, we must be a faithful friend. As an introvert who has learned to live in an extroverted world, it has been difficult to find this kind of friend. I do have some friends that I am close to and trust deeply, but this depth of friendship has eluded me. My hope, and prayer is that God will help us all find a person like this in our lives. Glory be to God!

Colossians 3:1-2

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Personal Challenge

It is one thing to claim to be a Christian and an entirely different thing to actually be a follower of Christ. “What do you mean?” you might ask. This passage helps to clarify this. Am I truly seeking those things which are above, or heavenly? Am I loving my neighbor, no matter what their color, age, sex, race, sexual preference, religious preference, political party, or any other standard of measurement used in this broken world? Am I humbly trying to be like Jesus, the Jesus of 2,000 years ago and not the Jesus of this modern age. Is my mind set on things above and not on things on earth, for as a follower of Christ my citizenship is in heaven? If I am not doing these things as best as I can then labeling myself as a Christian is besmirching the name of Christ: Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Sirach 5:10-11

Be established in your understanding
And let your word be consistent.
Be quick to listen
And give your answer with patience.

Personal Challenge

One thing that I have learnt, and try to adhere to, is to be consistent in my word. This applies both to what I say and what I write, especially on social media. If we are truly established in our understanding of who we are in Christ and because of that who we should be in the world, then we can work on the consistency of our word. The best place to start with this is to be quick to listen and slow to speak Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Colossians 2:6-7

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Personal Challenge

We live in on age where the true nature and characteristics of Jesus Christ are no longer taught. This does not mean that we need to fix our schools and teach about Him there. Our schools are secular institutions and should be where we teach the truths of reading, writing, arithmetic, science, etc. Where we need to start teaching the true nature and characteristics of Jesus Christ is in our churches and Christian homes. We have lost our way and in that have lost our relationship with our God. Heaven forbid! Jesus is fully God who became fully man. In His incarnation He left His place in heaven to be humbly born of a virgin in one of the harshest times in history. He lived the life of a wandering immigrant, without sin, and showed us how to love God and love our neighbor, without compromise. He taught His disciples the truth of God and sent them forth to spread His good news throughout the world. We, the modern-day people that claim to be Christians, must go back to His basics, confess our sins and abuses of his truths, repent and follow Him in His ways. If not, we will be accountable for blasphemous and heretical actions. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me, the sinner!

Sirach 3:18-19

The greater you are, the more humble you must be,
And you will find grace before the Lord;
Because great is the power of the Lord,
And He is honored by the humble.

Personal Challenge

This teaching is showing the true spiritual contrast of what God expects in leaders and what man expects, especially in today’s world. Humility is looked down upon· It is perceived as a weakness. However, true humility, a humility based on love for God and love for our neighbor, is the strongest force in the world. It cannot be overcome by brute force. If we want to find grace before our God, to have peace in our lives, to be truly righteous followers of Christ, then we must be humble and continually strive to love God and love our neighbor. This will be the only thing that will prevail against the tyrants of the day. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Colossians 1:19-20

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Encouraging Words

At the beginning of mankind, having been created with free will, we chose to reject God. This propensity to sin is in our DNA and we continue to reject Him by our choices. Jesus Christ chose to incarnate as one of us so that he could live a sinless human life in order to provide a way for us all to be reconciled to God. By doing this He not only reconciled all mankind, but all of creation. Glory be to God!