Elephant in the Room — The Threat of Sin - Thursday
Today’s Verse
Colossians 3:5a,12
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you….[and] put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. (ESV)
You could read any good book about the science of habit formation, and it would tell you that one of the most effective ways to overcome a bad habit is to not only make a plan to quit that behavior, but to also choose a healthier activity to replace it. According to the Scriptures, the same could be said of our sin.
In almost every letter the apostle Paul wrote, he included a list of things to avoid and a list of things to participate in (or “put on”). It appears he was on to something. The question then becomes: How do we “put on” kindness, humility, patience, and the like?
There’s a shockingly simple and incredibly important phrase tucked away in one of John's early letters, “Whoever says he abides in him [Jesus] ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6). Don’t miss this: Jesus had daily habits. He didn’t just avoid sin, but there were certain (good and holy) things He did day in and day out. He memorized scripture (Matthew 4:1-11), He awoke early and practiced solitude and prayer (Mark 1:35), He made time for interruptions (Mark 5:21-43), He ate with people (Matthew 9:10-11), He washed people's feet (John 13:1-20), and the list could go on. He actually gave us a life to imitate when He uttered the words, “Follow Me.”
The process of putting on things like kindness, humility, and patience is found in patterning our days after Jesus.
APPLICATION
Here’s my invitation for you today:
Identify one sin you want to attack this week (it could be the same sin you isolated in yesterday’s practice).
Once you have identified the sin you want to battle, choose one practice from the life of Jesus to actively engage in for the remaining days of this week. Below are a few examples:
If you’re struggling with impatience, intentionally force yourself to be conversationally engaged with every person who interrupts you for one day.
If you’re struggling with pride, radically serve someone who would never have the credentials to be your boss.
If you’re struggling with worry, choose a psalm about trust to memorize.
If you can’t think of a practice off the top of your head that seems appropriate for the sin you want to isolate, consider it an invitation to open one of the Gospels this week and study the life of Jesus until you find one.
PRAYER
Father, thank you for the perfect example of Your Son. Help me to fill my days with things that point me and others to You.