Selie Visa
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God”(Colossians 3:1).
The apostle Paul exhorts the Colossians to heavenly-mindedness after the example of Christ, that they may be prepared to appear with him in glory.If youhave then beenraised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitteth on the right hand of God.
Death and Resurrection with Christ
We had been buried with him in baptism, the immersions wherein the person appeared to be buried under the Water, as Christ was buried in the heart of the earth. His rising again the third any, and their emerging from the water, was an emblem of the resurrection of the body; and, in them, of a total change of life.
The only remedy for sinful passions is found in the believer's experience of union with Christ-- a union by virtue of which the Christian dies to sin and to the world's way of thinking and doing. The death with Christ also involves participation in his resurrection life. This releases into the believer's life a power that is more than adequate to resist the appetites and attitudes of the lower nature. To set the heart on things above is to desire and to strive for heavenly things. Christ is seated at the right hand of God, the place of supreme privilege and divine authority. Our thoughts and actions must be constantly centred on Christ. Our attitudes, ambitions, and whole outlook on life are moulded by Christ's relationship to the believer,and our allegiance to him takes precedence over all earthly allegiances.
What we do now will have eternal relevance
In the movie, Casualties of War, five American soldiers are on patrol in Vietnam. The sergeant in command decides to kidnap a young Vietnamese woman, so the soldiers can take turns raping her. Two of the groups object. One of them has a rosary around his neck, and when the group pressure wears him down, he takes off the crucifix, places it in his pocket, and then takes his turn raping the terrified girl. Only one of the men refused to participate in this despicable crime. Only one listened to his conscience and, thereby, kept it clean. At risk of his life, he reported the crime. This story really happened. Fearing vengeance and to protect his life, secret arrangements were made so that he could live in anonymity.
The conscientious soldier in the story commented that just because they were living in an environment where they could get blown away any second, his comrades felt that they could do anything that they wanted and it didn't matter. He felt that it was the other way around. Precisely because they could get blasted away any second,they had to be extra careful about what they did; what they did mattered even more
Life is short and uncertain; death may overtake you at any moment. Don't wait for the eleventh hour to accept Jesus as your personal Saviour; you may die at 10:30. No rule says the older ones will die first. A grandchild may die long before the demise of the grandparents. But this does not mean we should live and revel in worldly things as we wish with total disregard for God and the outcomes. Instead, we must seek to become a part of God’s family through faith in Christ and look forward to eternal life with him.
Love heavenly things; study them; let your hearts be entirely engrossed by them. Now, that ye are converted to God, act in reference to heavenly things as ye did formerly in reference to those of earth; and vice versa. This is a very good general rule: “Be as much in earnest for heavenly and eternal things, as you formerly were for those that are earthly and perishing.”
Love heavenly things; study them; let your hearts be entirely engrossed by them. Now, that ye are converted to God, act in reference to heavenly things as ye did formerly in reference to those of earth; and vice versa. This is a very good general rule: "Be as much in earnest for heavenly and eternal things, as ye formerly were for those that are earthly and perishing."
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
You are dead to all hopes of happiness from the present world and as a believer should feel no more appetite for the things of this lifeas one whose soul is departed into the invisible state.
Your life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is your treasure; and where your treasure is, there is your heart. Christ lives in the bosom of the Father; as your heart is in him.You also sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Christ is the life of your souls; and as he is hidden in the bosom of the Father, so are you, who live through and in him.
The atonement of our sins
What we do now will have eternal relevance as evidenced by the action of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There is always a reaction for every action. To every cause there is an effect. Through the sin of the first man, Adam the natural head of the human race, every one of us is born with a corrupted and sinful nature. This sin affects our total person--- whether it is the feelings, or our actions. Mankind and the entire universe are contaminated by sin. Furthermore,we are guilty of our many sins. The Holy Spirit now inclines us to do what is good, but our sinful nature constantly draws us away in the direction of sin. We don’t have to be a Bible scholar to understand that something is wrong. We have so many problems. But death is our greatest problem. Death is two-fold, physical and spiritual. Physical death is inevitable, from dust we were made and to dust we shall return. But much worse than physical death is the spiritual death which is the eternal separation from God. But despite our iniquities, unrighteousness, and sins, God loved us with an everlasting love and has paved the way for the atonement of our sins. That provision was Jesus--- the sacrificial Lamb of God. At the cross, a sinless Christ died like a criminal for sinners like you and me.
Eternal life or eternal torment?
What we do, the decisions and the choices we make today will have eternal relevance --- eternal life with God in heaven or eternal punishment in hell. Repentance and faith are the free acts of men. With their own mind, heart, and will, they must renounce sin. Turning from sin and reaching out in faith to Christ are the acts of man. No one can repent, believe, and trust Jesus Christ on our behalf. Salvation is deliverance from sin and death. It cannot be earned nor borrowed. We must personally, knowingly, and willingly believe in Christ to be saved. Then we must live in obedience to God, a life worthy to be called the children of the Most High.
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