Misplaced...

Misplaced...

by David Brenneman 

Some words and definitions:

passion: strong and barely controllable emotion.

sexual immorality: derived from the word pornea, our modern word of pornography.  Sexual activities outside of what God intended. 

evil desire: sort of self explanatory. The desire for the un-Christ-like.

greed: intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.

"Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, and free, but Christ is all, and in all.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.  In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."  Colossians 3 5-17 NASB 

When the word misplaced is often used it refers to something or someone that isn't where he, she or it was expected to be. 

Misplaced thoughts...these are more intense.  We were reading yesterday in the warning to protectwhat?  That which we take into our hearts and minds. 

We are often misplacing things.  It's a fact of life.  But rarely do we apply it to our thinking.  

It's no secret that some things upset people more than other things.  We say that is people being sensitive or overly sensitive to the situation or subject. 

In Christ we are to find our perfect peace. 

In Christ while it is possible to be angry and sin not, anger is forewarned to be a dangerous thing to pick up.  It's usually accompanied by other emotions that we too cannot contain. 

We often speak out words that we cannot take back.  We can rage on this or that when passion is mixed with anger.  

The worst side of ourselves can come out when we go down that road.

This may lead us into accepting something in our lives that has no place in our sanctification in Christ Jesus. 

James 1:20 NASB "for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God."

We can plug in the rest of those in verse 5 where the word anger is used.

"for a man's sexual immorality does not bring about the righteous life that God desires"

"for a man's impurity..."

"for a man's passion..."

"for a man's evil desire..."

"for a man's greed..."

...all of these do not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  They do nothing to grow us in Christ Jesus.  They are to have no place in the life of a Believer in Christ. 

We can often justify some of these.

We can often spout off on this or that and not realize it causes our walk with Jesus to suffer.  It's not showing a heart that's following Jesus.

We see in this part of Colossians that Paul writes that those things add up to idolatry. 

God intended, before the fall of mankind with sin, for those things to have a different context. 

The Biblical definition of idolatry: idolatry, in Judaism and Christianity, the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God. The first of the biblical Ten Commandments prohibits idolatry: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

We are often misplacing what belongs to God with things of this world. 

"So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also."

It's most difficult to express these particular feelings and emotions while the list of anger etc are in play.  

Putting on. Sounds like what Paul was getting at in Ephesians 6 with the whole armor of God.  

Romans 13:14 NASB "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."

In these years of my life I am catching myself more and more when a wrong road is approaching.  When I am tempted to behave a way that God didn't intend for me to be. 

We often don't take into account when our words go places they shouldn't. When our control goes awry.  When we do such things and others see who aren't as strong in the Lord or aren't yet a believer in Christ, we mess up the work of God.  We certainly aren't helping. 

We deceive ourselves so much.  

We justify so much.

"Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

If indeed the peace of Christ is ruling, then we are not. It's a given that you can't be thankful and also be angry etc. that we see in that list.  If we let the word of Christ richly dwell within us...those things would not be coming out of us.  

It's a cause to make us question what is in our lives that shouldn't be there.  

We cannot afford to just live coasting through life doing what feels good.  Scripture says to die to self and live to Christ. 

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

We're going to be tempted in every way to justify our behavior, our lusts, our desires.  We are going to be in situations that we rage for no Godly reason.  Condemning people for this or that in anger that has nothing to do with us.  

For me, personally, this is why I do not follow sports of any kind.  I was making a mockery of my faith in my behavior.  I was being judgmental. I was being angry for this or that happening.  Justifying my actions by saying that I was a fan of this or that team.  I was, in all truthfulness, a hypocrite.  I was going along with others crying out for this person to be fired, that person was worthless.  I was not behaving in a way that brought about the righteous life that God desired in me.

This is but one area of my life.  I was doing the same in regards to immersing myself in fiction all the time.  Be it television or movies.   I was engaging in thinking and things that were not bringing about the righteous life that God desired in me.

I still have areas of my life where the Spirit is still working on me.  The Extreme Home Makeover of my life will only end when I am perfected in the resurrection if I don't leave this world sooner.

The consideration of today is to really look at what you set your mind on.  Look at what you are doing that others see.  Look at where your mind goes.  Are you, in everything, doing it in the name of the Lord Jesus?  Are you thankful? 

We often are not going to see our own bad behavior.  We need others to be honest with us.  Pray for that. 

Pray that your eyes be opened to what Jesus sees concerning your life and behavior.