What To Put Off And What To Put On

By: Jenifer Metzger

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above,

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds

on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your

life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life,

appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4

When we ask God into our heart to be our Lord and Savior, we have to make some changes. We are now raised with Christ and must seek things above and set our minds on things above.

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature:

sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which

is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the

disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you

were living in them. But now, put away all the following:

anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your

mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the

old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are

being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.

Colossians 3:5-10

We are told things we need to put off or put to death, such as greed, filthy language, gossip, lies, and our old practices. All the things break the heart of God and separate us from Him. But they also tarnish our witness. If we call our self a believer yet we are using filthy language or gossip or have anger, we are tarnishing the witness and the name of God.

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on

compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing

with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a

grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you

are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Colossians 3:12-14

Then we are told the things we need to put on such as love, kindness, gentleness, and live as Jesus. These are all things that enhance our witness, make God happy, and bring us closer to Him.

Colossians 3 is a wonderful chapter for new believers to read, but also for seasoned believers to refer to often. Let's be women who put off things that hurt the heart of God and put on things that bring us closer to Him.

It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.