Sharing His Resurrection from the Dead
"We have been raised with Christ to a new life, sharing His resurrection from the dead."
- meditation from Colossians 3:1a
As I was meditating on the above portion of verse one, Col. 3, a thought considering "sharing His resurrection from the dead" in relation to the remainder of the chapter came. Colossians chapter three teaches how I am to live and conduct myself personally and in relation to others. I realized that the instructions and descriptions following verse one are because I now share in His resurrection from the dead. Those old practices are part of death. I have been raised with Christ; I am not to look, act, talk, or live as dead any longer. There is to be a difference in me once I come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. I am to live, look, act, speak, work as one alive in Christ!
These thoughts brought me back to the very first word of the chapter: if. "If then you have been raised with Christ to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead," The word if informs me there is an opportunity for this to not be so. The word if also clues me in to the fact that if I can be raised with Christ, I can also not be raised with Him. It is a choice, a decision I and only I can make. If I have chosen to accept God's offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, then there ought to be visible fruit of His life i.e. kindness, goodness, forgiveness, gentleness, patience, wisdom, understanding and so on. If there isn't, then perhaps I need to search my heart and find out why. If an ungodly dead lifestyle remains a regular part of my every day life, where is Jesus?
These questions are prompting me to search farther and dig deeper. Here are some additional scriptures gleaned while digging further into truth. May they enrich your time of meditation as they have mine. More and more uttering, muttering, and pondering to do:)
May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, Ephesians 3:17
And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] asChrist loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance. Ephesians 5:2
Here are a couple of verses we can pray over our brothers and sisters in Christ:
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6
For I am well assured and indeed know that through your prayers and a bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) this will turn out for my preservation (for the spiritual health and welfare of my own soul) and avail toward the saving work of the Gospel. Philippians 1:11
Something that is happening as I meditate on the Word is that as I am meditating other scriptures related to the ones I am meditating on come to mind. When I look the additional verses up, they lead me to still others. As this journey through the scriptures continues on, I find chapters and verses are no longer boundaries but rather helpful bits to assist me as so many pieces come together in one interwoven message of Love, a love letter than cannot be divided into unrelated chapters and verses for me to pick and choose at will. One verse ties to another and that to another and another in a never-ending Word of Love, God.
I no longer live for my new, real life is hidden with Christ in God,
Abundantly Blessed