Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule hearts. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual song, singing to God with gratitude in you hearts. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-17
We the Church, as God’s chosen people, as a people that God has called by his name, are to be living lives that are markedly different from those who belong to the world. We are to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, and most important of all loving. Because those of the world are going to the exact opposite of all those things. Those of the world are not going to show compassion, they are going to be unkind, to be impatient, thinking only of themselves, harsh, unforgiving, and unloving. But we are different from the those who are of the world because we have something they don’t yet have, and that something is “the word of Christ” dwelling in us. And “the word of Christ” is the Holy Spirit, who comes to live inside of you the day you said yes to Jesus. And it is the Holy Spirit that begins the work of changing all of those old worldly thoughts, actions, and ideas that you once had into Godly thoughts, actions and ideas. In the book of Ezekiel God says it this way:
I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all you idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give a you a heart of flesh. I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances. Ezekiel 36:25-27
Are you ready to replace your stony, stubborn heart with a tender, responsive heart? If you are then here is what you need to do:
- Recognize that you are a sinner
- Recognize that the penalty for your sin is death
- Believe that Jesus paid the penalty for your sin
- Believe and declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
And the way that you do that is through this simple prayer:
Dear God, I know that my sin has separated me from you. Thank you that Jesus Christ died in my place. I ask Jesus to forgive my sin and to come into my life. Please begin to direct my life. Thank you for giving me eternal life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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