Have you mixed up your salt and sugar?

Posted by Christy

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4: 5-6

Imagine you are getting out the ingredients to bake a batch of cookies, but you have unknowingly mixed up the salt and the sugar. You end up putting in a dash of sugar and a cup of salt.

Now, picture a little child taking a big bite of one of those cookies. How long will it take the child to realize something is wrong? Do you think he or she will ask for another cookie? Of course not!

The art of seasoning is a matter of balance. Just enough salt to notice, but not too much salt to overwhelm. Salt creates a thirst, a desire for more. As Christians, we sprinkle the salt of God’s grace and gospel into our daily conversations. We don’t saturate every conversations in a way that drives others away. The artful seasoning of God’s loving grace into our conversations will create a thirst and a desire in the lives of others. They will long to know more of Jesus. This is how you “make the most of every opportunity.”

All Means All and That’s It: Colossians 1:15-18

Posted by Christy

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels–everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. Colossians 1:15-18 (MSG)

We look at this Son and see all we need to see. He puts everything and everyone in its place, and holds it all together.

In today’s reading Paul is telling truth after truth, point after point, about Jesus

Who He is: as the full representation of God…..the visual image of the invisible God….God with skin on.

Where He is: in ranking supreme over ALL things created….seen and unseen….visible and invisible.

Christ has no equal and no rival!
This Christ we serve…..
He is Lord of ALL.
All means all and that’s it.

Here the matter of the worshiping of created things instead of the Creator is dealt with as people were listening to false teaching of worshipping angels.

At one time or another haven’t we all gotten caught up and before we know it, we place more value on “stuff” than we do Him? Or what about placing more value on people than we do Him?

~~note~~

~~rant~~

That includes you, single woman, placing a desire (and obsession) for a man in your life over the desire for THE Man that’s already there.

Let’s turn this thing around (otherwise known as repenting 1John1:9)

The Greek word Prototokos is used in these verses, one meaning of this word is the preeminent authority over the resurrection of the dead. All who trust Christ will also defeat death and rise again to live eternally with Him (Jesus jigging!! Whew glory!!)!

What He does: as our sustainer. Everything is held together by Him, protected and prevented from disintegrating into chaos. Daily we trust Him to protect us, care for us, and sustain us….strengthen us, support us, and uphold us.

Christ deserves first place in our hearts, all our thoughts, all our activities, the entire church. First place is His.

Lord, thank You for all You do….seen and unseen to care for me. Thank You that you reign supreme because that means all things are in the right hands. May I always keep first things first….and that’s You….upfront and in charge. In Jesus name, amen

I love you deeply. Walk in worship of the true King.

Rescued and Redeemed, walk in it: Colossians 1:13-14

Posted by Christy

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

We have been rescued! We needed rescuing from the domination of the enemy. His ways are meant for our destruction and harm. Let’s speak the truth….he’s after us.

Thanks to Jesus and His redeeming forgiveness of the cross, we reside under his dominion no more!!

The enemy no longer has any dominion over us. We are freeeeee!! Thank You Jesus! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Sweetest name I know!

Paul mentions we are rescued AND redeemed:

Rescued: to save someone from a dangerous or distressing situation; keep from being lost or abandoned; to set free from danger; a deliverance

Redeemed: Do something that compensates for poor past performances or behavior; to recover ownership by paying a specified sum

Isn’t that cool? Rescued and redeemed….that’s what we who accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior are! Saved and set free……paid for and under the power of a great and wonderful God!

Any bondage we are in is by our own doing.

My husband puts it like this:

Imagine being raised by a mean man….mean to the core. This man continually tells the child, “You can’t do this, you can’t do that.” or, “You must do this, you must do that.” One day this man dies, and that child is on his own. He comes to know that the old man was wrong about everything he said; that there is freedom in Christ that’s been there all along.

We need to start listening to the right Man! You see, we are co-heirs with Christ. This means everything Jesus has, we now have. Everything. We have put ourselves in bondage to things in this world that we are free of.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

(For more in relation to the former life read Ephesians 4:17-32)

But before we can have a former life, we have to gain a new life in Christ. I ask you now, if your life ended today, would you go to heaven? The Bible tells us all about how we can claim our salvation: read here and then come back and tell us about it, and let us celebrate with you.

Our sin debt is paid. We have been redeemed and and rescued. Our sins have been removed from us as far as the east is from the west to be held against us no more(Psalm 103:12). Let’s walk in it!

There’s an awesome song that speaks so well what we’ve talked about today. Go here and allow this song to speak to you in worship of our risen Savior.

I love you deeply. Walk freely with the King.

Don’t quit yet….He’s got cha pepper: Colossains 1:11-12

Posted by Christy

“being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:11-12

Here, Paul is continuing his prayers for the Colossian believers.

I don’t know about you, but endurance is what I need. At times I loose my pepper, a term my old track coach used to use.

Starting off is never hard for me…it’s the ‘keeping on’ as I round another lap, and another, and another I wonder if I’m ever going to be able to finish with the pepper. As I run and am pelted with this spiritual attack, that spiritual attack….the utter beatings from the enemy as we serve others….the times as a woman you never ‘get’ return for all you ‘give’. When we still haven’t seen a breakthrough on that thing we’ve prayed about forever….Sound familiar?

My coach taught me to stop thinking about when the race would end. With each lap, he would say, “you can give me just one more” and I could. I could give one more. At the end of the next lap, he would say, “just one more Christy” and I would run again. Endurance is what he wanted. He was training me in endurance to be a great long distance runner. He didn’t want me thinking about the other runners, he wanted me to finish….one lap at a time. And I did. Every time, and greatly so.

In my own strength I get impatient, wanting to see the results quickly. I’ve run long, and now I want to see the results, I’m tired. He supplies the patience to wait….and the endurance to keep running.

Being impatient is what causes us to give up…we want our way, and right now. If not right now, then we quit.

God gives us all the strength, endurance and patience we need for this life…and has enabled us to share in the SAME inheritance with all the saints in His Kingdom of light. Ohhhh, how I joyfully thank Him…because I don’t know about you, but, I sure ain’t saintly!

I thank Him for giving me what I don’t deserve….an eternity with Him paid for me by His own Son!! Whew! That makes me do the Jesus jig!!

Talk about keeping the pepper! We WILL keep the pepper by His glorious and mighty power!

With the joy of our salvation we run. We run with His gloriously mighty power…and with the pepper….and we don’t stop….and we completely go…… and keep going until the glorious day we are with Him in the Kingdom of light. He is faithful to complete the work He began.

Lord, I thank You. I thank You for the joy of my salvation. I thank You that You created me, died for my salvation, and give me all the strength, power, and endurance I need for my life here on this earth. What an awesome God You are. I adore You. I am Yours. In Jesus name, amen.