Word for Today, Thu, 18 Sep 2002: Our worth comes from God Himself
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
It is Thursday, September 18, in the Year of our Lord Jwsus
Christ, 2002. I love to read the Word of God. It puts a whole
new spin on the things of the day. To be honest with you, I've
had a rough day. You know, when things don't go "according to
p[an", that can be a recipe for discourgement, frustration, and
even anger. That's where I was at certain times today. I'm
reminded, once again, that I need to renew my mind.
As I read today's message from the book of Colossians, this
modern translation still manages to bring out clearly the truth
that my thinking and my actions do not need to be governed by
either my own set of rules and expectations or by anyone else's.
Now, of course, we have to take this passage in the context from
which it is written. Paul was referring primarily to ceremonial
Jewish law, which said that to be a follower of God you had to do
this and that in a precise order. Elsewhere, scripture is very
clear that we are to obey our masters. In today's culture, that
means that we answer to our employer. Scripture also tells us
that we are to obey our leaders and all who are in authority over
us.
We certainly can be freed of ridiculous rituals of this or that.
If we do any rituals at all, they are merely reminders to us of
what Christ has done for us. The only things we ought to
remember are to follow the things that He said, remember Him in
all that we do, and submit to those over us, unless doing so
would contradict any absolute teachings from the Word of God.
The principle to pick up from this, once again, is that our worth
does not come from following this or that. Our worth comes from
God Himself, who made us, called us His own, who has taken our
condition into account and has made an atonement for our failings
- that is, God, through Jesus Christ, the God-man, has given us
everything we need to live for Him.
Let's remember that today and give up whatever we've been holding
onto today and once again give thanks and praise to God!
Your Brother in Christ,
Brian
September 19, Colossians 2.8-23
8 Don't let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These
arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings.
They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ.
9 God lives fully in Christ. 10 And you are fully grown because
you belong to Christ, who is over every power and authority. 11
Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as
circumcision removes flesh from the body. 12 And when you were
baptized, it was the same as being buried with Christ. Then you
were raised to life because you had faith in the power of God,
who raised Christ from death. 13 You were dead, because you were
sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ make you
alive, when he forgave all our sins.
14 God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying
the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the
cross. 15 There Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let
the whole world see them being led away as prisoners when he
celebrated his victory.
16 Don't let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don't
let them say that you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the
Sabbath, or any other festival. 17 These things are only a
shadow of what was to come. But Christ is real!
18 Don't be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble
and who worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it
is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish
desires. 19 They are no longer part of Christ, who is the head
of the whole body. Christ gives the body its strength, and he
uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by
the power of God.
Christ Brings New Life
20 You died with Christ. Now the forces of the universe don't
have any power over you. Why do you live as if you had to obey
such rules as, 21 "Don't handle this. Don't taste that. Don't
touch this."? 22 After these things are used, they are no longer
good for anything. So why be bothered with the rules that humans
have made up? 23 Obeying these rules may seem to be the smart
thing to do. They appear to make you love God more and to be
very humble and to have control over your body. But they don't
really have any power over our desires.
Scripture made available by the American Bible Society for the
Year of the Bible Project. These passages are from the
Contemporary English Version of the Bible. For more information
call: 1.888.324.2535 or contact us through this web site.
http://www.gospelcom.net/yob/dated/see_today.shtml
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Year of the Bible
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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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