marklindberg - Apparently You Can

Continued from "Can You Do It?"

I'm really big on excuses. You want one? I've got one for you to borrow. Don't worry, I have plenty to spare. You won't even have to give it back.

I have struggled with being disciplined my entire life. I was not disciplined as a child and have had to learn many hard lessons as I have grown older: How to work hard without someone watching, how to keep my word, how to not make excuses but to own up to my failures.

Look at me (upper left-hand corner)! I'm fifty pounds overweight. OK, more than that, but we'll just go with that number. I've got just as many problems as the next dude. You want sin? I carry mine around on my waist for everyone to see. I remember standing on a sidewalk in China and some guy walked up to me and just stood there, looking at me. He looked at my stomach, then at my face and back again. He smiled and put his hand on his stomach and wiggled it up and down. You know, the universal sign for "Fat American." The whole time he was standing there, smoke from the cigarette he was puffing on came out of his nose and mouth. I just smiled back and said "Race you!!"

You want undisciplined? In some areas I'm disciplined, in others, not so much. Having said that, I believe that we need to put much more effort into cutting sin from our lives than we are willing to accept. I also believe that we are capable of much more than we think we are. This isn't that "we only use 10% of our brains" baloney. This is more of a "God has commanded us to do it" kind of thing.

Please read the passage below from Colossians 3:1-17. We'll talk more tomorrow.

Since, then,
you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵Put
to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^[b] ⁷You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. ⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹Here
there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹²Therefore,
as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And
whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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