Raised to New Life

This week my small group read Colossians 3:1-17. I wasn’t able to make it this week to discuss my thoughts/notes on the passage, so I figured I would share what God revealed to me to you all! :)

“Since you have been raised…” (vs.1)
When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, He lifts us up to a place of honor. He has made us righteous, whereas without Him, we’d still be spiritually dead in our sins.

“…to new life with Christ,…” (vs.1)
Christ formed us in our mother’s womb and gave us life physically. Once we gave our life back to Him, we were spiritually given a new life that is in Christ.

“…set your sights on the realities of Heaven…” (vs.1)
Rather than focusing on the problems of this world and earthly reality, we should look to God and Heaven’s realities. I like how the verse talks of the realities of Heaven, because Heaven is often seen as a fantasy land rather than a reality.

“Let Heaven fill your thoughts.” (vs.2)
Not only are we to look to the Lord and shift our focus to Him, but we should also let our thoughts center on Him and Heaven.

“Do not think only about things down here on earth.” (vs.2)
God knows that we are going to have earthly concerns, but He wants our focus to be on Him and on Heaven (also see Philippians 4:8).

“For you died when Christ died and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.” (vs.3, 4)
I thought of these verses while listening to the song, “Where I Belong,” by Cory Asbury. It starts off with Cory praying to God that God’s presence is all that he longs for. Then he goes on to say, “here in the secret place…Here in the quiet place…My soul waits for You alone…And here I’ve finally found the place where we’ll meet, Lord, face to face…I’ve finally found where I belong in Your presence...to be with You.” I believe this is what the passage is talking about. Our soul longs for that real life that only God has for us. And He has this secret place tucked away, hidden for us so that it may not be ruined for us. He wants us to be able to enjoy His secret garden and delight in His presence! That’s how much He loves us!! :)

But before this gets too long I am going to end it here and continue my notes on the rest of the passage on a different devotional. I hope this devotional brings you comfort and gives you hope, knowing that we have been made new in the Lord. He loves us so much that He has tucked away a special place for us to meet with Him. In His mercy, He picked us up from our filthy state and made us righteous and beautiful in His sight. What a great God we serve!! Today, I pray we will remember our value to the Lord and let our thoughts center on Him. Let us not let worldly concerns hold us down and keep us from living the life God has called us to live.

May the Lord bless you and always keep you close to Him.

In Christ,
Shannon

“’Wonder of the World” – Rush of Fools
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3bt0OWcNCo&feature=related