I Died!

This morning I felt led to read same very familiar passages from Paul's letter to the Colossians 3:3-14 NIV:

[3] "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." 

[5] "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. [6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. [7] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. [8] But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. [9] Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. [11] Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." 

[12] "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

These verses have always been quite challenging to fully embrace and live out, especially verses 3-9, for our natural bodies argue against this spiritual reality.  Our old selves are dead and we are now alive, hidden in Christ.  In much the same way Israel struggled with wanting to go back to Egypt after being led out by the Lord, we tend to want to go back to our old ways, our old realities.  

There is comfort in the old familiar ways, even if they lead to slavery and death. It is my opinion that the 40 yeas spent in the wilderness had more to do with getting the slavery mindset out of the Israel than just about anything else. In fact the way that happened was a generation passed away, taking their old mindsets with them.  I think that is a rough picture of what we are invited to embrace in our lives.

I find that in my life there has been a slow softening of my rejection of my old life, a remembrance of things without the real perspective of the truth of the ugliness; sort of a nostalgic movie to be enjoyed that only shows the good things and none of the bad.  I think this is what we find in the grumbling of Israel, longing for the onions and leeks, remembering the tasty food (See Numbers 11:5) and forgetting about the whips, lashes and beatings.

Paul encourages us to take a pretty drastic step in putting to death such things and putting on a new self, a self who lives out the spiritual reality, a life that chooses compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and above all love!  There is a way forward where our mind is renewed in knowledge  in the image of God.  I certainly love the sound of that, now if I could just live that way!

I am reminded of the story of Les Miserables, where the main character Jean Valjean, spends his whole life pursued by the former prison official who is trying to capture him and return him to his life as prison 24601.  Valjean manages to reinvent himself, putting off his old ways and name, becoming someone completely different, but the prison official pursues him relentlessly.  The difference between Valjean and the Israelites, is he never forgot how bad things were in the old days, the days when he was a prisoner.  

I am encouraged today to embrace my new spiritual reality, reminding myself that my old self is dead!  My old identity is no more, I no longer have a prisoner number, or slave number, I live in Christ, hidden in Him! 

Lord, help me to grasp this reality!  Help me to embrace this truth, and to remember clearly the old ways, not with a nostalgic fondness but with a true knowledge of the path and price. 

Help me to live my life embracing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, mercy, patience, and love.  Help me to live as Christ Jesus, in whom I am hidden.

Amen and Amen!