Colossians 3:1-17
"Rules for holy lving"
The first thing Paul tells us to do is to set our hearts and minds on "things above". that would be choosing to follow God's way in our lives, not the world. At the same time, we must not merely apply this to either our hearts or minds, but to both. a person whose heart is on God, but not his mind may find himself conflicted between what he feels God is telling him and what worldly logic says - yes, this sounds very familiar. Conversely, someone whose mind is on God, but not his heart lacks conviction. his faith is merely an act, a play for the rest of the world. Either way, having our hearts and minds leaning in opposite ways can diminish our effectiveness as Christians.
Paul then tells us to remove all worldly thoughts/manners. why? because these acts - immorality, lust, greed, anger, slander, foul language, etc - God's wrath is building. As christians we should not be striving to do what angers God, right? so then, we should remove from our own lives these very things which anger God. now, that's not easy, but it is a challenge to which we must commit ourselves. and all christians are subject to this idea of shaking off the old ways of sin and turning to the ways of Christ. Paul says here that under God, there is no Jew or Greek, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. Christ embraces all and all are in Christ. (this passage is one often used to discourage preferential treatment, like favoritism or racism, as preferential treatment implies that someone has less worth than someone else when all are equal in the church)
Paul then calls us, God's people to take on the characteristics of God: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, patience and love. Especially love. it is love for one another that binds us together as a community. you may not realize it, but in a way, you love your neighbor through how you treat him or her, or your teacher through giving respect, or even the person who sits a few rows behind you who throws paper balls at you. yes, you can love him too, and not just by restraining from flooring him, but by forgiving him and bearing with him.
Paul asks that the peace of God be present in our lives. we are called to live as one body and a body does not live at war with itself. we should also be thankful, should read and think, no meditate, about the word of God (not meditate as in that "OM" stuff. just clarifying), teach and correct others and praise God from the depths of our being. Paul asks, in other words, that whatever we do, we do in Christ's name. this means we are to be ambassadors for Christ and one quality of an ambassador is they represent the one who sent them, not only in word, but in their actions. the U.S. ambassador to China acts with the interests of the U.S./the president in mind. likewise, our actions should reflect the interests of Christ - striving for purity in our lives and spreading the gospel.
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