February 2–I Need Help

It’s the weekend! I hope you have a chance to rest a little and to spend some quality time with God. I need to clean my garage as I think it should be a nice day here. However, lots of the things I need to move around are heavy—too heavy for me. I can’t really do it alone so I guess I’ll have to wait for help. 


Living a life without sin is too heavy for me too. It’s impossible. That is if I don’t have someone working with me that is stronger and much more adept at it. Someone to guide me and fill me with His perfect Spirit. Only through Jesus do I have a shot at right living. It’s what Paul was trying to tell the church at Colosse. A group of people he’d never met but he was in prison so He couldn’t go there in person. They were mostly Gentile converts who the Jews were trying to make live according to Jewish law—all earthly things. And so he writes. 


“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬


The false teachers were so wrapped up in monitoring each movement that they had entirely forgotten “this world is not our home.” They were demanding a strict adherence to the law of the Jews and it was impossible for a mere man. They were expected to live a asceticism (severe self discipline and self denial) lifestyle that didn’t work then and doesn’t work now. The fact of the matter is that fallen human beings lack the will power to resist sin. So, no matter how hard we fight to avoid sin, we always going to lose. This means that in order to live ethically, in order to obey the standards that God has set for us, we have to rely on something much bigger and more powerful than ourselves.


Lord of Heaven, help us to keep our eyes set on the things above. We long to see you and to spend time with you and while we are here below, remind us of what is to come. Teach us Father to be more Ike you and to walk more closely with you. Help us to understand we cannot live a life separate from sin without you. We know that it is not our battle to fight alone but you go before us, stand beside us and have our backs. We are so falible yet you are perfect and only by your grace can we ever strive to come close to righteous living. We worship you and praise your name for making the path to heaven for us. Amen and amen. 


Love you dear one,

Pam

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