Changing for Better and for Good

UV 3695/10000 Changing for Better and for Good But now rid yourselves (completely) of all these things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene ( abusive, vulgar, filthy) language from your mouth. Colossians 3 v 8 Sin exerts a push and pull force or attraction on the human being. Our inner lust and pride draws us like a magnet to sinful tendencies and habits like anger, malice, slander and bad language ( swearing and cursing included). Paul in this uni-verse as in the rest of his letter to the church in Colossus emphasizes the need for believers of Christ to put off sinful habits like anger, slander and abuse and put on the new self in Christ, renewed in knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self. We are, then to recognize and be fully aware that once we are redeemed by faith in Christ, we are a new creation. As new creatures of Christ, we are to set apart or to be holy. We are to be adorned with a new heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience that helps us overcome injustice or unpleasantness with grace and even temper. We are to be tolerant of each other’s weaknesses and temperaments and forgive freely even as God has forgiven us in Christ. We are to wrap ourselves in the bond of true love with all its attributes and attitudes. The peace of God is like a weather vane or a lighthouse that is the controlling factor in helping us navigate our lives. It is the controlling factor that helps us decide what decisions and choices we are to make that are consistent and compatible with our faith and the teachings of Jesus. Putting on the new self is not just tweaking our attitudes and behaviour but it is a deep work of the Holy Spirit in which we should cooperate by practicing these qualities of Christ, these fruit of the Spirit. Our mouths should be like a sweet spring and not also produce at times bitter or toxic water in terms of gossip, slander, malice, wrath, rage, anger, abuse, vulgarity. These are very difficult to practice, indeed impossible without the grace of God and the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We need to constantly seek the counsel and feedback of the Spirit of God regarding the aspects in which we ought to change and how to change it for better and for good. Putting off the evil inherent in our old and fleshy nature is not a cosmetic change, not a mere act of human will power, not a suppression of our baser nature but a putting to death of these with no hope of it being resurrected despite any provocation or stimulus from the people we are interacting with in our homes, workplaces, churches or streets.