5-19-19 Today in the Word

Living in Christ
OFF WITH THE OLD
Sunday, May 19, 2019 | Colossians 3:8–11

Driving on a congested highway can be a severe test of patience. Road rage is an all too common occurrence! When confronted with a slow driver, tailgating, or someone aggressively cutting across traffic, our emotions may quickly escalate. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, deaths caused by road rage increased 500 percent between 2006 and 2015. Anger and rage are a part of our sinful nature.
In Colossians 2:11, Paul reminded the church, “In him [Christ], you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by hands.” In today’s reading, Paul picks up on this metaphor. Paul declares that an old self needs to be removed from the life of a believer. This includes removing from our life sins of the tongue: “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” (3:8).
The Bible regularly reminds us how powerful and dangerous our tongues can be. With our tongue we are able to tear people apart. A church can even be destroyed through lies and deception (v. 9). The apostle James tells us that apart from the influence of the Spirit, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). But that old part of us has died with Christ and we do not need to live under its power any longer.
Paul encourages us to “put on the new self” of a transformed life (v. 9). As we live out our new life in Christ, the old dividing lines of Jew and Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, or even slave and free do not matter (v. 11).
APPLY THE WORD
We often do not take our words seriously. On social media now, we can be quick to speak, pronounce judgments, or pass along gossip. Take a moment today to reflect on your speech. Pray that the Lord will help you put to death destructive habits of the tongue that hinder your spiritual life and can damage those around you.

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