Nail in the Coffin

There are things in my life that are pesky nuisances. Things I don’t like about myself. Character traits that still need work. I wish I could lighten up. Why do I take life so seriously? Why can’t I keep even one room in my house clean? Why am I such a klutz? I’d like to be able to keep a beat, have cool dance moves and sing a song just once in my life. Do you have your list of things?The reality is I can work on character-related things and I can broaden my horizons, but there are some parts of me that are just hard-wired in. I’m pretty certain Josh (Highpoint’s Worship Pastor) will never ask me to lead a song. Ha!There are things we all wish we could change about ourselves… but then there are those things that must change. In the context of my recent journey through Colossians, Paul has challenged us to put our minds on things above, not on the things of this earth. But then he goes a step further in Colossians 3:5…

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…

Now, stop there. Before we look at what follows, just sit on that instruction. He isn’t wishing, politely suggesting, or hoping we might consider his idea. We're told to “put to death what is earthly in you.” And know that he isn’t talking about your little quirks or idiosyncrasies here. So, before we move on, I challenge you to answer this question:

What is earthly in you?

What must you do away with in order to live the victorious Christian life? What has the opportunity to keep you from experiencing the blessings and protection of God? What in your life is unblessable?I remember sitting through a conference session one time when the speaker encouraged us to imagine our lives as a movie. He then said, “Make sure you never introduce a scene into your movie that would keep you from having the story climax and ending you want.”What do you need to put to death? Perhaps you’ve tried a few times and given up. If the Lord is bringing something to your mind, be grateful for His conviction and realize… this time, you must put the nail in the coffin.[bctt tweet="What in your life is unblessable?"]Paul finishes Colossians 3:5 with a specific list of earthly things we must make sure are put to death – “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.” We aren’t instructed to hide them or minimize them, we’re told to put them to death. Then a second list follows (verse 8) of behaviors and attitudes that followers of Christ must choose to leave behind – anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying.You can minimize your struggle with any of these. We’ve all done that before. Or… we can choose to put the nail in the coffin.

What do you need to put to death?

I challenge you to reach out and tell someone who will walk alongside you, encourage you, and hold you accountable. We’ve been given a new life in Christ. Bury anything that hinders you from experiencing all the fullness of God’s blessings and protection!