“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…” Colossians 3:5a;12
As I am currently interning at Cornerstone, I work 3 mornings (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (way better than Starsucks). At this wonderful coffee shop, we use powder for chocolate and vanilla drinks, which are loaded with sugar. Thus, we also have what is called, NSA (no sugar added) powder. Although the regular sugary powder isn’t really that bad for you, people FREAK out and always get this NSA powder stuff! What they don’t really know is that the NSA powder still has some sugar in it…not to mention when people get caramel or other flavored drinks, there is so much other bad stuff it really doesn’t do much good. What’s even more hilarious is when people get NSA powder and then extra whip cream!!! I’m like, “Really?!”
I thought to myself, why do people do this? I realized people do this simply because they love to justify getting a horribly unhealthy drink by adding a “healthier” alternative that doesn’t make the unhealthy part so bad! They are doing a little bit better for sure, but as a whole, the drink is still very unhealthy!
Isn’t this true in our own lives when dealing with our sin? It is for me. I take a struggle that I am going through, a sin issue I am battling, a heart attitude that is ungodly…and I justify it by making it just a little bit less sinful. How many times I ask for NSA to my already sinful “drink,” No SIN Added…but really I should be asking for the No Sin at All drink!! There is a huge difference!!! How many times do we justify our sinful drink with No Sin Added?
Colossians 3 talks about putting off our old self…completely!!! If you look at the list of our earthly fleshly nature, it not only lists some issues, but says “you must put them ALL away”!!! It doesn’t say, “Put some big sin issues away, and add a couple other little ones.” NO!!! It says put them ALL away! Don’t even get the sugary sinful “drink”!
What’s even more convicting in Colossians 3 is the second half. Many times we as Christians get so hung up on the “putting off” that we forget it’s a two-part heart issue. We MUST “put on”! We cannot be satisfied by simply putting off sin, but we must fill our hearts with what God tells us is good, right, just, and glorifying to Him! If we just never get a sinful drink, our cravings for something will overtake us and we will be back in line, ordering another No Sid Added beverage. Not only are we called to not get the “sugary” (sinful) drink, but we are called to get the completely “healthy” God-glorifying drink!
What areas of sin are we justifying? What things do we need to put off? What are we filling our hearts with? Are we content to just get a No Sin Added drink in our lives or are we committed to glorifying God by getting the drink of “love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”?
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Are we getting NSA drinks in life or are we not even tasting it and getting the completely healthy drinks in the name of the Lord Jesus?! Trust me, don’t believe the lie that NSA makes the drink healthy…get the drink that is “holy and acceptable before God”…it is WAY healthier!!!
I thought to myself, why do people do this? I realized people do this simply because they love to justify getting a horribly unhealthy drink by adding a “healthier” alternative that doesn’t make the unhealthy part so bad! They are doing a little bit better for sure, but as a whole, the drink is still very unhealthy!
Isn’t this true in our own lives when dealing with our sin? It is for me. I take a struggle that I am going through, a sin issue I am battling, a heart attitude that is ungodly…and I justify it by making it just a little bit less sinful. How many times I ask for NSA to my already sinful “drink,” No SIN Added…but really I should be asking for the No Sin at All drink!! There is a huge difference!!! How many times do we justify our sinful drink with No Sin Added?
Colossians 3 talks about putting off our old self…completely!!! If you look at the list of our earthly fleshly nature, it not only lists some issues, but says “you must put them ALL away”!!! It doesn’t say, “Put some big sin issues away, and add a couple other little ones.” NO!!! It says put them ALL away! Don’t even get the sugary sinful “drink”!
What’s even more convicting in Colossians 3 is the second half. Many times we as Christians get so hung up on the “putting off” that we forget it’s a two-part heart issue. We MUST “put on”! We cannot be satisfied by simply putting off sin, but we must fill our hearts with what God tells us is good, right, just, and glorifying to Him! If we just never get a sinful drink, our cravings for something will overtake us and we will be back in line, ordering another No Sid Added beverage. Not only are we called to not get the “sugary” (sinful) drink, but we are called to get the completely “healthy” God-glorifying drink!
What areas of sin are we justifying? What things do we need to put off? What are we filling our hearts with? Are we content to just get a No Sin Added drink in our lives or are we committed to glorifying God by getting the drink of “love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony”?
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Are we getting NSA drinks in life or are we not even tasting it and getting the completely healthy drinks in the name of the Lord Jesus?! Trust me, don’t believe the lie that NSA makes the drink healthy…get the drink that is “holy and acceptable before God”…it is WAY healthier!!!
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