{"id":3671,"date":"2015-10-07T00:02:47","date_gmt":"2015-10-07T07:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/?p=3671"},"modified":"2015-10-07T00:08:29","modified_gmt":"2015-10-07T07:08:29","slug":"107-new-clothes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/10\/07\/107-new-clothes\/","title":{"rendered":"10\/7: New Clothes (\u7bb424:15-22 \u897f3:1-4:1 \u803614:1-15:21)"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u00a0\u7bb424:15-22 \u897f3:1-4:1 \u803614:1-15:21<\/h2>\n<h2>New Clothes<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p>I tend to wear very similar clothes every day. I cannot claim to have much \u2018dress sense\u2019. Yet, believe it or not, before Pippa and I got married it was even worse.<\/p>\n<p>When I got married, my flared trousers, misshapen sweaters with holes, string vests, ties (inherited from an uncle) and dilapidated trousers had to go. I hate getting rid of things \u2013 especially clothes to which I am attached. They feel like old friends. But alas, the time had come to be re-clothed.<\/p>\n<p>As well as the outer clothing, our hearts and minds have an inner clothing. When you come into a relationship with God through Jesus, the old clothes have to go and you need a new set of clothes for your heart and mind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>1. Control your heart and mind about other people<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Proverbs%2024:15-22&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Proverbs 24:15-22<\/a>Have you been wronged or hurt in some way by someone, and then found out that they got into trouble?<\/p>\n<p>This passage warns us against <em>thinking <\/em>that they are getting what they deserve and rejoicing over their problems: \u2018Do not gloat when your enemies fall; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove\u2019 (vv.17\u201318a).<\/p>\n<p>It is so easy to gloat when those who have been causing us problems and opposing us mess up and fall. It is rather tempting to enjoy the moment. But this is the wrong response. Watch <em>your heart<\/em> and resist these <em>thoughts<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>As Joyce Meyer writes, \u2018It takes a lot of \u201cheart work\u201d for us not to be at least a little bit glad to see that person get what is coming to him&#8230; We should always remember that \u201churting people hurt people\u201d. Those who hurt us are usually hurting within themselves, and their pain may be so strong that they are not even aware they are hurting us.\u2019<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, forgive us for the times when we have gloated, and help us to resist the temptation to do so. Thank you that it is possible to control our hearts with the help of the Holy Spirit.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>2. Clothe your heart and mind with love<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Colossians%203:1-4:1&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Colossians 3:1-4:1<\/a>As a Christian, you are \u2018in Christ\u2019. You are united with him in his death and resurrection. Therefore, Paul can write that \u2018you died\u2019 (3:3). And he can also write, \u2018you have been raised with Christ\u2026 your life is now hidden with Christ in God\u2019 (vv.1,3). In the future, \u2018When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory\u2019 (v.4).<\/p>\n<p>Because of all that Christ has done for you and made possible, you need to re-clothe your heart and mind.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Change what you think about (vv.1\u201312)<br \/>\nRight action begins with right thinking. If you want to live this resurrection life, made possible by Jesus, Paul writes: \u2018Set your <em>hearts <\/em>on things above\u2026 Set your <em>minds <\/em>on things above, not on earthly things\u2019 (vv.1\u20132).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">This is not easy because we are surrounded by \u2018earthly things\u2019 (v.2) and temptations. Take radical action. Paul writes, \u2018That means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy\u2019 (v.5, MSG). He reminds them that this is what they used to do <em>before they were Christians<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">\u2018Strip off\u2019 the old clothes (v.9, AMP). You must \u2018<em>rid yourselves<\/em>\u2019 (v.8) of the bad stuff: \u2018anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have <em>taken off<\/em> your old self with its practices and have put on [\u2018<em>clothed yourselves<\/em> with\u2019, AMP] the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator\u2019 (vv.8\u201310).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Put on the new clothes. You are one of God\u2019s chosen people and therefore, you are called to live as such. This means a radical change of your position in the world. You need to be <em>active <\/em>not passive. Instead of the bad stuff, you are called to clothe yourself with \u2018compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience\u2019 (v.12).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Change your reaction to others (vv.13\u201315)<br \/>\nChrist lives in every Christian, regardless of background. In Christ there is no racial barrier (\u2018no Greek or Jew\u2019), no religious barrier (\u2018circumcised or uncircumcised\u2019), no national barrier (\u2018barbarian, Scythian\u2019) and no class barrier (\u2018slave or free\u2019) but \u2018Christ is all, and <em>in all<\/em>\u2019 (v.11).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Paul goes on, \u2018bear with each other\u2019 (v.13). In the world, if someone lets you down, that is often the end of the relationship. But you are to \u2018forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you\u2019 (v.13).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">Forgiveness is a uniquely Christian virtue. Others may forgive, but only Christians have such a solid basis for forgiveness. As C. S. Lewis says, \u2018To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">One word sums up our new set of clothes: \u2018love\u2019. Paul writes, \u2018And over all these virtues<em> put on <\/em>love, which binds them all together in perfect unity\u2019 (v.14). Love is not just an emotion, it is an action. It is something you \u2018put on\u2019. As you put on your physical clothes, so you are <em>to put on love<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">This is the beauty of the Christian community \u2013\u00a0Christ brings about a radical change in your relationships. The way Christians relate is so different from the world and should be so attractive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">How is it possible? You must set your heart and mind in the right place and, as Paul goes on to write, \u2018Let the peace of Christ rule in <em>your hearts<\/em>, since as members of one body you were called to peace\u2019 (v.15).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">God\u2019s peace acts like a referee in your heart \u2013 telling you what is in and what is out. One of the questions you should ask about any decision is: \u2018Do I sense God\u2019s peace about what I am about to do?\u2019<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Change your attitude to Jesus (vv.16\u201317)<br \/>\nBe constantly guided by \u2018the word of Christ\u2019 (v.16). Paul says, \u2018Let the word of Christ \u2013 the message \u2013 have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!\u2019 (v.16, MSG).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">This kind of community will be centred on the worship of God and listening to the word of Christ in the Scriptures. It will be a community of love, \u2018sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord\u2019 (v.22).<\/p>\n<p class=\"rteindent1\">It will also be one of hard work. Whether you are an employer or an employee you are serving Christ. Do your job well and with a good attitude in your heart and mind: \u2018Whatever you do, work at it with <em>all your heart<\/em>, as working for the Lord\u2026 It is the Lord Christ you are serving\u2019 (vv.23-24).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, help me today to live a life of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Help me to forgive as you have forgiven me. May your peace rule in my heart. May the word of Christ dwell in us richly as a community, in our teaching and in our worship.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<h2>3. Change the direction of your heart and mind towards God<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"inline-reading\" href=\"http:\/\/classic.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Jeremiah%2014:1-15:21&amp;version=NIV&amp;interface=print\" target=\"_blank\">Jeremiah 14:1-15:21<\/a>The book of Jeremiah is a call to repentance that begins with Jeremiah\u2019s own heart: \u2018Therefore, this is what the Lord says: \u201c<em>If you repent<\/em>, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman\u2026\u201d\u2019 (15:19). Repentance means changing <em>your heart and mind<\/em> and turning back to God.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremiah was God\u2019s spokesperson. He turned his heart and mind to listening to the word of the Lord. This was in stark contrast to the false prophets of the day: \u2018These preachers are liars, and they use my name to cover their lies. I never sent them, I never commanded them, and I don\u2019t talk with them. The sermons they\u2019ve been handing out are sheer illusion, tissues of lies, whistlings in the dark\u2019 (14:14, MSG).<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, Jeremiah\u2019s heart and mind was set on listening to the Lord \u2013 \u2018This is the word of the Lord to Jeremiah\u2019 (v.1), \u2018Then the Lord said to me\u2026\u2019 (15:1). He knew how amazing it was to hear the words of the Lord. \u2018When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart\u2019s delight\u2019 (v.16). Ultimately, this is the only thing that will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart and mind.<\/p>\n<p>Resolve to continue to read God\u2019s words every day and to meditate on them in your heart and mind. Once you have heard the word of the Lord, you need to pass on the life-changing message unchanged: \u2018Let your words change them. Don\u2019t change your words to suit them\u2019 (v.19, MSG).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Lord, thank you that when we repent and change our minds, you restore us so that we may serve you (v.19). May your words bring joy and delight to my heart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">God be in my head, And in my understanding;<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">God be in my eyes, And in my looking;<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">God be in my mouth, And in my speaking;<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">God be in my heart, And in my thinking;<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">God be at my end, And at my departing (<em>Sarum Missal<\/em>).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"bioy-body\">Pippa Adds<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bioy-body\">\n<p><strong>Colossians 3:12\u201317<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We had this wonderful passage read at our wedding. If we could all live as these verses suggest, it would make for very happy marriages, families, churches, communities, workplaces&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>\u8bfb\u7ecf\uff1a\u00a0\u7bb424:15-22 \u897f3:1-4:1 \u803614:1-15:21  <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/2015\/10\/07\/107-new-clothes\/\" title=\"10\/7: New Clothes (\u7bb424:15-22 \u897f3:1-4:1 \u803614:1-15:21)\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bibleinoneyear"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3671"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3672,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3671\/revisions\/3672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hoc6.org\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}