Day 34: Overflowing Gratitude!
11When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure the cutting away of your sinful nature. Colossians 2:11
In today’s Scripture the Apostle Paul goes back to the Jewish roots of our faith. When God made His covenant with Abraham, part of the covenant was that every male child would be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. Paul points out that when we come to Jesus as Lord and Savior we are spiritually “circumcised.” Since circumcision was a sign of one being part of God’s covenant people, our spiritual circumcision is the sign that we belong to Jesus, that we have become part of His covenant people. Remember that when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with the disciples, He told them as they were about to drink the cup, that it was the “new covenant in my (Jesus’) blood.” Thus, Paul’s words to the Colossian believers are simply another way of saying that we are complete in Jesus, that we belong to Him, and that as such we are new people. When we experience this “spiritual procedure” as Paul called it, our sinful natures are “cut away,” and we have the power to live faithful lives. These words relate to the words we read in Colossians 2:6 on Sunday. As we go about our daily lives as people of the New Covenant, people who have received the new life through Jesus’ precious blood being shed on the cross, the result is gratitude, overflowing gratitude as we’ve been emphasizing all week. As you go about this day, think about everything that is different in your life, because Jesus is your Savior and Lord. Think about the big things (we’ll be spending eternity in heaven with Him) as well as the small ones, and as you do GIVE THANKS!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
Do you remember a time when you responded to Jesus and received the new life of which we’ve been talking? If not, what assurance does today’s Scripture give you that you are born again?
If you don’t have an answer to these questions, give Pastor Chris a call at 724-342-4196.