"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Wednesday, July 27, 2016 with Scripture Colossians 3:1-11
Colossians 3:1
A pastor and a friend in our synod died this past May. He loved the people of the congregation he served and was most content in helping them understand what a relationship with God was all about. Toward the end of his struggle with cancer we were talking about his favorite stories from the Bible. His immediate answer was Luke's story of the loving father and the renegade son. His reason was simple: the image of being separated from the one who loves you unconditionally is the most vivid description of Hell.
Paul offers what seems to be a laundry list of inappropriate moral behaviors. However, there is a key word that helps us understand what Paul is trying to teach. He talks about greed as idolatry. Anything that stands in the way of our being in relationship to God or the neighbor amounts to separation. I now think about my own actions and possessions and wonder which ones of these are creating distance from those who love me.
God of love, help us give up those habitual actions that distance us from you or our neighbor. Help us see neither Jew nor Greek, or any other label or class designation that clouds our sight, or leads us to believe that we are above anyone else. Amen.
Rodger Prois
Bishop Western Iowa Synod, ELCA
Master of Divinity , 1993
Colossians 3:11 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).
6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.
7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.
8 But now you must get rid of all such things--anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices
10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.
11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all![New Revised Standard Version]
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So if you were raised along with the Messiah, then seek the things above, where the Messiah is sitting at the right hand of God.[
Colossians 3:1 Psalm 110:1
] 2 Focus your minds on the things above, not on things here on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. 4 When the Messiah, who is our life, appears, then you too will appear with him in glory!
5 Therefore, put to death the earthly parts of your nature — sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed (which is a form of idolatry); 6 for it is because of these things that God’s anger is coming on those who disobey him. 7 True enough, you used to practice these things in the life you once lived; 8 but now, put them all away — anger, exasperation, meanness, slander and obscene talk. 9 Never lie to one another; because you have stripped away the old self, with its ways, 10 and have put on the new self, which is continually being renewed in fuller and fuller knowledge, closer and closer to the image of its Creator. 11 The new self allows no room for discriminating between Gentile and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, foreigner, savage, slave, free man; on the contrary, in all, the Messiah is everything.[Complete Jewish Bible]
-------A pastor and a friend in our synod died this past May. He loved the people of the congregation he served and was most content in helping them understand what a relationship with God was all about. Toward the end of his struggle with cancer we were talking about his favorite stories from the Bible. His immediate answer was Luke's story of the loving father and the renegade son. His reason was simple: the image of being separated from the one who loves you unconditionally is the most vivid description of Hell.
Paul offers what seems to be a laundry list of inappropriate moral behaviors. However, there is a key word that helps us understand what Paul is trying to teach. He talks about greed as idolatry. Anything that stands in the way of our being in relationship to God or the neighbor amounts to separation. I now think about my own actions and possessions and wonder which ones of these are creating distance from those who love me.
God of love, help us give up those habitual actions that distance us from you or our neighbor. Help us see neither Jew nor Greek, or any other label or class designation that clouds our sight, or leads us to believe that we are above anyone else. Amen.
Rodger Prois
Bishop Western Iowa Synod, ELCA
Master of Divinity , 1993
Colossians 3:11 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,
3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).
6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.
7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.
8 But now you must get rid of all such things--anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices
10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.
11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all![New Revised Standard Version]
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