FAMILY CLOTHES

 

Colossians 3:12-14  Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (NIV)
 
Families are often glad to pass clothing from one child to another. It is economical but also allows the older children to say, "I used to wear that": a sort of bonding with younger siblings. On the other hand, rebellious children can refuse to wear what is conventional for the family, and dress differently as a way of expressing that they do not respect the family values. What we wear identifies us: an external sign of our loyalties and values. Using that picture, Paul tell the believers in Colossae that they need 'new clothes' because they belong to Christ.

Prayer Like Dynamite

When faced with a dilemma or personal tragedy too large for any human being to handle, I have sometimes thrown up my hands and said: "All I can do is pray."  Over the years, I have come to realize how ridiculous such a statement really is. It's as though I were to become frustrated with a piggy bank I couldn't open and to say: "Well, all I can do is light this stick of dynamite and hope that it blows things apart."  That's what prayer is like - a spiritual explosive with the power to reconfigure the natural world.

Is Jesus a Lifeboat?

Jesus was never meant to be a lifeboat. He's the ship. He's not Plan B. He's not what is going to work if all else fails.  He is the ship. If we live our lives as though he is Plan B, we're not living the life God created us to live... When we shield little compartments from God and make our own plans, we choose the lifeboat over the ship. We may fool ourselves into thinking the lifeboat is part of the ship and we're still with the ship, but we have opted for Plan B.

An Unexpected Gift

For my birthday one year, my mother sent me a package wrapped in plain brown paper. When I opened it, there was a gaudy, multicolored [straw basket] stuffed with tissue paper.  I actually thought my mother had totally lost her good senses! I tossed out the tissue paper, wondered what in the world I was going to do with the basket, then called to thank her for her "gift." Mother laughed when I thanked her for the basket, then asked what I thought about what was inside it.  I told her that nothing was inside except tissue paper, and I had thrown that out. She responded urgently, "Oh, no, Anne! Inside that tissue paper is your real birthday gift!"

God Pursues You

You have never slipped God's mind. Even if you haven't thought about him since the last time you walked through a church door, he has been walking with you, watching you, talking to you.  And God has been trying his best to catch your eye because he pursues you. God doesn't pursue your country. He doesn't pursue your state or your town or even your church. He pursues you, just as he did the woman at the well [see John 4:4-42]. At times, I've had to come to God ... after creating my own solutions instead of seeking God's guidance and waiting on his answer. I entertain thoughts like: