Dead as a hammer

I was hanging out with one of my friends this weekend before church and we were talking.  He is a brother in Christ, and was really excited about Colossians chapter 3.  As we were leaving, he reminded me to read it sometime this week.

First of all, anytime a fellow brother or sister suggests reading something in the Bible, go and do it.  Usually it is the Holy Spirit telling you through someone else something that you need to know.  

As I read Colossians 3, one thing jumped off the page at me.  It was in verse 4 when Paul writes “When Christ, who is your life…..”  For some reason, that really stood out to me!  Some translations say “When Christ, who is our life..”  Why did Paul word it that way?

I believe it is because Paul had his priorities in line.  Paul didn’t see us like the old hymn says “I was lost, but now I’m found!”  Paul went to the root of the matter!  In verse 3, Paul says that we were dead, but now hidden in Christ.  In other words, our sins were forgiven through Christ, and we are hidden from a Holy God.  We were dead as a hammer, and now (because of Jesus) we are alive.

Now we fast forward to the year 2011.  Should it look different now then when Paul wrote the letter to the church of Colosse?  Absolutely not!  If you are a Christ follower, then Jesus shouldn’t just be someone who leads you through life, He should be your life.  There is a big difference between the two!

How do we get there?  Here are a few thoughts:

• First, love God with everything you have.  (Mark 12:30)  Jesus tells us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind & strength.  When I played soccer in the state playoffs in high school, I played so hard one game that I had to be helped off the field.  I played with everything I had in me.  I left it all on the field.  Jesus tells us to love God in the same manner.  By doing so, our hearts begin to line up with God’s heart.
• Read God’s word.  God communicates with us through scripture.  That is why they call it “The Living Word”.  If you are a Christian, then you interpret scripture through the Holy Spirit living in side of you.  Imagine God sitting over you shoulder, whispering in your ear while you read.  By reading god’s word, you are literally hearing God’s voice in your heart.  When we begin to grasp this, our lives begin to dramatically change.
• Pray.  Our God desires to hear from His children.  (Philippians 4:6)  Paul encourages us to go to God “in everything, through prayer & petition…”  Have you ever signed a petition?  It is a statement.  It's an official request.  Pray big!  Ask God for some things that are too big for you to fathom.  Take your concerns to God over and over again.  He will answer them.  It may not be the exact answer you expect, but it will be in His will.  In doing so, you are hiding yourself in Christ and seeing God work out things on your behalf.

Jesus is so awesome.  What a privilege it is to serve Him.  What grace He has given us.  Don’t just pattern your life after His, make His life yours.