“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1)
Happy New Year! Okay, it’s not actually New Year’s, but it’s never too early or late to make a new beginning. It’s only really hard. But we can do hard things.
The obstacle is this: We’re still us, right? Aren’t we doomed to just keep repeating the pattern of our strengths and weaknesses until we die? In Colossians 3, Paul says, “nope.” At least, that’s what he says to Christians.
Believers have this superpower we don’t talk about much. Because of the Holy Spirit, we can say “no” to sin, “yes” to powerful new choices, and we can become wildly different people. In fact, we can exchange our identity for a brand new one. Starting right now.
How? Step one is found in verse one above: Make a new goal. Paul says to aim to live in the identity of Jesus Christ Himself. And that means setting your life in the direction of heaven. More tomorrow.
Think: Do you like making new beginning or do you dread them? Is making a goal of becoming like Jesus a goal worth setting? Is it worth it enough to make it your first and biggest goal?
Pray: Ask God to help you to set the whole direction of your life toward Jesus and heaven. And then ask him to overwhelm you with the desire to keep moving that way.
Do: If you’ve got a few minutes, let Paul’s description of Jesus true identity in Colossians 1:15-19 blow your mind.