Showing New Life
Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 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! Colossians 3:5-11
In today’s devotion, we arrive at one of Paul’s well-known “But now” passages. “These are the ways you…once followed, when you were living that life,” Paul says, “but now you must get rid of all such things.” That life which Paul references is categorized by impurity, idolatry, and slander and compromises God’s glory. Within this compromising context, Paul directs us toward the Gospel and reminds us that the old self has been pinned to Christ’s redemptive tree and the new self is being renewed in its stead.
On a Friday back in 2003, my girlfriend and I traveled eight hours to North Carolina, where we lodged at a seminary guest home in preparation for a campus tour. That next morning, I traversed across campus alert and focused. I walked and acted differently because of what rested inside my coat pocket— a gorgeous, hard-earned engagement ring. I’d rolled coins, sold a video game system, and brewed a year’s worth of espresso for that ring. The riches inside my pocket affected everything about me that weekend—my walk, my talk, and my thoughts. Not only was the ring monetarily valuable, it also possessed life-affecting value—its presentation would forever alter both of our lives. Kim said yes and, as to be expected, she began telling everyone our engagement story and enjoyed nothing more than showing off her ring.
Paul tells us in Colossians 3 that the Gospel is so valuable that it adjusts our walk, our talk, and our thoughts—and yet, we so often forget that it rests inside our pocket. By not sharing and living in light of the Gospel, we devalue its worth. Had Kim not told our story and showed off her ring, I would have questioned her acceptance of it. And so, if the true mark of one’s acceptance of a gift is found in how it’s shared, what spiritual gifts are we devaluing by hiding them from others?
