Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s work on getting rid of the sinfully dysfunctional ways in our lives.

Today’s scripture, Colossians 3:8-10 (NLT) exhorts…
[8] But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. [9] Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. [10] Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Consider…
Have you ever wondered why God won’t just purge the negative attitudes and behaviors from our lives when we get saved?

Also it just occurred to me that the Old testament was mostly written about God’s chosen Children of Israel, whereas the new testament was written to God’s Adopted Children through Christ.

The reason this is important, is because when reading the new testament, we’re reading God’s expectations for His adopted children. For example, Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-45 (NLT)…
[43] “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. [44] But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! [45] In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Notice Jesus, the Son of God, said that loving our enemies is acting like the true children of God!

Understanding God wants us to behave as His children is a key to our Christian walk. In Romans 8:12-16 (NLT), our brother Paul wrote…
[12] Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. [15] So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” [16] For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

Notice, Paul said we didn’t have to give in to our natural tendencies and sinful urges because we were given a Spiritual Nanny, the Holy Spirit, to help us when our Heavenly Father adopted us. 🙏🏾

This brings me to a crucial revelation about our responsibility as adopted children. We must recognize we’re part of a new family and have to adopt the norms and behaviors of this family. We have to distance ourselves from the dysfunction that we were saved from.

Here’s something I heard recently…
God has given us a lot to work with (grace) yet we still have a lot to work on (faith)

This makes me think of our brother Paul again, who wrote in Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT)…
[12] Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. [13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Wow, the Holy Spirit just gave me a key insight about God’s grace. The insight is Grace gives us the ability to do, but the doing is up to us. The Holy Spirit gave me Ephesians 2:8 (NLT) to make His point. The verse says…
[8] God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

Do you see it? We’re saved by grace WHEN we believe. This is key because it emphasizes the fact that we have to do something.

In the same way God saved us by His grace when we believe, He has given us that same grace to shed our old sinfully dysfunctional ways. But it’s up to us to do the shedding.

The visual God is giving me is the person on a diet. The diet (grace) won’t make you lose weight, it will just give you the ability to do so, if you operate in accordance with it’s precepts. Plainly said, the diet won’t make you not eat unhealthy foods or portions, it will just tell you that if you want to lose weight you must not eat that way.

That’s the same thing God’s grace is telling us with today’s scripture, if you want to be a child of God you must shed…

• Anger
• Rage
• Malicious behavior
• Slanderous speech
• Dirty language
• Lying

Today’s scripture said these are characteristics of our old sinfully dysfunctional ways, which we were saved from. It goes on to say, that we must…
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

This tells me that accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior doesn’t magically change us, it gives us the grace and desire to change. But the change, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is on us. Here’s what I mean, the Holy Spirit will tell you what to do and what not to think, say, and do, but obeying Him is solely up to you.

That’s why our brother Paul also wrote Galatians 5:16 (NLT), which says…
[16] So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Notice we’re told to let the Holy Spirit guide, which means we must follow.

So going forward, when you’re tempted to indulge in your unhealthy ways of…

• Anger
• Rage
• Malicious behavior
• Slanderous speech
• Dirty language
• Lying

… remember you’ve been adopted into God’s functional family and His children don’t act like that.

Adoption makes us part of a different family, therefore we should act differently.

Today’s Song is…
Different

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)