New Life

It’s amazing that I can listen to the same sermon two days in a row (Saturday night service and Sunday morning service) and be totally  ministered to in separate ways, like it was a brand new sermon (and Joel does preach differently on the two days, that’s for sure).  Yesterday I wrote about setting our minds on things above, and verse 3 of Colossians 3 tells us why:  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  This reality, that we are a new creation should never cease to blow our minds or change the way we live. ANd yet, as Joel sadly pointed out, innumerable surveys and studies conclude that for the most part Christians and non-Christians behave in the same way. They listen to the same music, watch the same movies, spend the money the same way, get divorced just as often, have the same conflicts…etc.  How sad is that?  How sad that for a majority of those who call themselves believers, Christ is just an escape route from hell.  That is a tragic abuse of God’s grace. 

This message, from Colossians 3:1-11 was basically, “You’re a Christian. Act like it.”  The reality is that we are new, that we are no longer slaves to sin but are now slaves to righteousness.  We are slaves to right living, which means if we submit to the power of God in our lives, we no longer have to submit to the evil desires that well up within us, because that is no longer who we are.  What if, after I went through the ceremony of marrying Jeff, said my vows, put on the ring, cut the cake, etc.  What if after we honeymooned for two weeks in Kauai, then we got home and I said, “Ok bye, I’m going back to live with my parents.  Call me sometime, ok?”  That would be ridiculous.  I’m not longer single.  I’m no longer Kari Zyp.  I am Kari Patterson, wife of Jeff.  I have a new identity which means I get to enjoy the freedoms, privileges and responsibilities which come with that. 

Because of this, God calls us to take sin seriously.  Dabbling in sin is not only grievous to God and detrimental to our attempts at growing in righteousness, it is living contrary to our nature.  It is acting in a way that is not who we are.  What did Jesus say about sin?  “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out…” and no just gouge it out, I love how Joel pointed out, “Gouge it out, and throw it away!”  As if gouging one’s eye out wasn’t enough.  “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off,” and then, in case that doesn’t stop it, “cut it off and throw it away.”  Joel said, “I’m surprised Jesus doesn’t say, ‘throw it away, beat it with a stick, douse it with gasoline and light it on fire.”  Jesus was talking seriously about sin.  The point?  No measure is too great.  No measure we take to keep ourselves from sinning is too great. 

And no sin is too small to confess.  I want to be the person that keeps a short account with God. I want to confess any little impure motive, critical thought, thoughtless word.  Just yesterday I made a joke about something with some people, and afterwards realized it was thoughtless. Even though it seemed ridiculous to go back to that person and confess my thoughtlessness, I did it.  Maybe it was unncessary, but you know what? I’d rather err on the side of honesty, confession, humility. I’d rather keep a short account with God because that is how we stay current with Him.  That is how we keep our hearts tender toward Him. That is how we keep ourselves from being deceived by sin’s warping effect. 

So tonight I’m thanking God that I’m a new creation. That the old things are gone, that all things have been made new. I’m thankful that I’m no longer a slave to sin, but am now a slave of of righteousness. 

And…on the topic of new life, I’m hoping and praying a new little life will arrive soon. Because I’m really tired of being pregnant (!) and I’m ready to hold my daughter, in my arms at last.