Colossians Part Nine

By Johnny Angel

Colossians 3:[5] Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. [6] On account of these the wrath of God is coming. [7] In these you once walked, when you lived in them. [8] But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. [9] Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices [10] and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. [11] Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scyth'ian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all (RSV).


I have heard a story about an Indian who becomes a Christian because a missionary shares the gospel with him. When the missionary comes back through the village, he asks the Indian how he is doing. The Indian says, "It is like there are two dogs inside me. One is good. The other is bad. They fight all the time." The missionary asks, "Which one wins?" To this, the Indian replies, "Whichever one I feed the most."

Do you remember what you ate last week? Last month? Last year? You probably don't. But it has made you what you are. If it was all junk food, it shows. If it was healthy food, it shows.

Are you filling yourself up with the world's junk food or with Christ's healthy food? If you are getting into the meat of the gospel by daily turning to God's word, you are probably strong and ready to handle what comes against you. But if all you are doing is things that the sinful nature wants to do, there is a problem. The important thing to consider is what our motives are. If you are a Christian, you cannot keep repeating a sin and enjoy it. The book of James says anyone who knows to do something but doesn't do it commits sin. If you know you shouldn't be doing something, pray to God for forgiveness and guidance.

Christ wants us to go into the world to minister to it. But we cannot be part of it. The old us has died away. The new us is all that exists. We must let the good dog win. God will help us if we try. The important part is found in verse 11. The important part is that everything in your life have Christ in it and be focused on Him.