"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs --"
Colossians 3:15-16 NKJV
Colossians 3:2 tells us, 'Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.' In other words you need to become totally committed to Jesus. When you are, the peace of God begins to rule in your heart and you find that you have an 'inner calm' despite what is going on within and around you. When you begin walking in God's peace you begin to receive confirmation of decisions that you need to make and instructions about the way forward in your life.
The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we begin to be like Him and aware of what He wishes for us. Therefore, spending time in His word, praying, speaking with Him and listening, are all conducive to a healthy spiritual life. The word of Christ begins to dwell within you richly - heart and mind, and it is almost as if you become saturated in it. Talking about Him, sharing testimonies and just fellowshipping become a way of life, it is just so natural. The advantage to this, is that you are able to encourage those who need it. You help spur them on by teaching, helping and possibly instructing them about the way forward. Your old self is left behind and the new self kicks in and takes over so much that you help those who are wanting to do the same but are confused. This is all called fellowship. The Greek word for fellowship is very interesting. It is called Koinonia and means sharing, unity, close association and partnership. In Koinonia, the individual shares in common, an intimate bond of fellowship with each other. In fact, Koinonia cements the believers to Jesus and to each other. I like that, it represents a solid and rigid connection.
A good example of Koinonia is found in the early part of Acts, where the people are meeting together every day, praying, taking communion and generally sharing the love of Jesus. The result of all this, is that the early church had thousands added each day. They were doing something right, it must be said; so it works.
This all relates to taking off the old self and putting on the new self. The old has to go because it holds us back and it is in the past. We live in the now and look to the future. There is a major difference, don't you think?
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
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