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Our Pastor is taking us through the book of Colossians. He has been parked in Chapter 3 for several weeks. The verse has a lot to do with putting off and putting on.  

Colossians 3:5-17 
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 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.

He recently camped out on verse 13: “forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”  

In the counseling ministry I see many lives that turn sour because of unforgiveness. I see marriages, families, friends, churches and work relationships go under because of unforgiveness. Our pastor gave an illustration of what it is like to hold unforgiveness in our hearts. You may have heard it before, but if you haven’t please ponder its meaning . . .

In countries where they eat monkeys, hunters will hollow out the inside of a coconut shell (just enough for the monkey to get its hand in) and put peanuts down inside. The coconut is tied to something to keep it stationary. Once the monkey puts its hand inside the coconut and grabs the peanuts he is unable to get his hand out because grabbing the peanuts turns his hand into a fist. The monkeys are caught because they WON’T let go of the peanuts. They will die because they refuse to let to go. . .

I give you the same challenge our Pastor gave us as a church. What in your life are you holding on to that keeps you from being available to move forward in your marriage, family, church, etc.? LET GO! Put to death what is worldly in you.

His,
vickie

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