Recovery Devotional 268 The Ultimate Choice

JMD Devotional 268 Colossians 3:1-3 The Ultimate Choice

IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.

When I went through a particularly dark passage in my life, where for months I struggled with suicidal impulses, loneliness and depression, God broke through in a remarkable way. I was dreaming, and right before I woke up, I heard the reference (not the verse) “Colossians 3:3”; I was startled awake, and you can believe I got up right away and looked it up. It was a divine prescription for my condition. All of the things that upset me, that I saw slipping away; my financial security, my reputation, my ministry, all of the trimmings of my life really did not matter to a dead man. I was still hanging on to so much ballast: dead weight, dead works, the past, and my clinging and striving only made me miserable. To die to self is freedom. Jesus called His disciples to follow Him to the Golgotha, to carry their cross, the instrument of their execution, the symbol of Christian sacrifice. Born again implies death to the old life. Sin has no power over a dead man; a person who has truly died to this world cannot be manipulated, bribed or seduced by things. God requires us to place such a high premium on eternal spiritual life that the temporal physical trimmings should pale in significance. It is all going to burn. Faith changes our paradigm: we are seated with Christ in the presence of Almighty God; therefore, we can be objective about material and physical loss. Sin, the flesh and the Devil are defeated when we elect to sacrifice this retched life for true spiritual life; when God becomes our all-in-all. Having this mind-set is a daily choice and spiritual discipline that transforms our attitude and perception. The irony is that clinging to what passes for ‘life’ in this world actually sucks the life right out of you; giving it up for Jesus Christ ushers in abundant life (He said it better: Matthew 10:39 (NIV) “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”)

Dear God,

You are the Great Physician, Your way is the way of life everlasting. Please help me to quit going back to futile ways of living, of trying to distil vitality out of rubbish. May I daily recognize that true life comes only from You; and anything else posing as life-giving is false. I am in the presence of God; what more do I need? Faith is the victory that overcomes the world; to God be the glory.

Amen

All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by

the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

*New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)

I originally produced these blogs between 2006 and 2007, which were then published in my book, JMD Recovery Devotionals. In 2010, I am sending these out to a few people as I review them and see if my point of view has changed.

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