New Life!

For Sunday, April 14, 2024:

Colossians 3:1 NLT: “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.”

Remember that the ‘old you’ should have died with Christ. True Christians have been ‘born again.’ You should be living a new, different, better way. If you’re not, check to see that you’ve given permission for your old self to die. ‘Born again’ isn’t an add-on concept to what you’ve already been doing. It’s totally discarding the old way of living. God is good, and he sent his Son to help us make a fresh start. We have graciously been granted a ‘do-over,’ with heaven being the reward!

Paul wrote, “Set your sights on the realities of heaven, on things above rather than earthly things,” and also, “I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above.”

"Keep your eyes on the prize” is more than a civil rights song. It’s a biblical principal that we all should know. As Christians, we devotedly follow Jesus. His goal for us is eternity in the presence of God, and we should never forget not just what we believe, but also WHY we believe. Be constantly aware of the prize.

Don’t be someone for whom Christianity is just a habit. Some go to church every Sunday but aren’t sure why. They attend Bible studies to see their friends. They donate a little extra for the widows and orphans, because it seems like the right thing to do. But many have lost sight of the goal, the prize, which is that if we believe (faith) Jesus has prepared a place for us in the hereafter (grace.)

Focus on the prize, the great eternal life prepared especially for you!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship