Paul wrote to warn the Colossians and direct them to truth in the face of heresy in Colossae. News reached Paul that heresy was swarming around the church at Colossae and threatened to influence the believers there with worldly belief systems. 5 Paul wrote the letter while in prison in Rome. The apostle Paul wrote Colossians to the church of Colossae-what we now know as a part of modern day Turkey. Right believing leads to right living, so let’s grow in the practice of believing and preaching the truth of God’s Word to ourselves, together. Attempting to do great things for God without trusting in the great things He’s already done for us will always lead to either a whole lot of self-righteousness or total despair and distance from God, fearing that you’ve failed Him. Without the indicatives-or what is true about who God is and what He’s done-the imperatives would be basically impossible. 4 Orthodoxy tells us what is straight orthopraxy tells us how to walk along that straight line. Orthopraxy is what we do because of our faith, and orthodoxy (or indicatives) is what we believe. I’m tempted to focus on how I must set my mind on things above and dismiss the reminder that the power to do so comes from being raised with Christ as a born-again believer.Ī fancy word for right conduct or practice is the word orthopraxy 1- ortho meaning straight, 2 praxy meaning practice 3 (or imperatives). ![]() (Do you sometimes think it is repetitive and maybe even a little boring?) If you’re like me, sometimes it’s tempting to want to jump straight into the dos and don’ts of how we should live and skip over the reminders of who God is and who we are in Christ. Just like putting on sandals in snow or snipping lettuce from a container in your kitchen has no power to bring on spring, neither does our striving change our hearts apart from gospel transformation. ![]() You see, the truth is: True change only happens after our state of being changes. But the truth is, no matter how diligent they are to wear sandals or how many garden plants I’m ready to plant, we won’t be involved with the affairs of summer until the snow melts away and the true changes of the season occur. They are ready to be summer people-to do summery things. They start pulling out their summer clothes, bike helmets, and swim trunks. (You may know that I’m mom to six boys!) They have a habit of putting on sandals and shorts any time the sun is out and the temp reaches above forty degrees Fahrenheit. The other day I saw a huge indoor pot of lettuces growing-and naturally believed I needed to buy a pretty container of lettuce-because what could be more spring-welcoming than to snip lettuce that’s growing up from dirt? (I act as if growing veggies on my windowsill will cause snow to melt.) Have you ever started doing things or buying things in winter in hopes that spring will come more quickly-like when I walk into The Home Depot ® and involuntarily reach for all the tiny tomato plants and cucumbers even when snow is still falling? Order your copy or see a free sample today at /Truthfilled. In today’s culture, there’s no shortage of self help, easy fixes, and worldly advice, but only the truth of God’s Word was meant to fill you up and satisfy you fully.Today we’re sharing an excerpt from Ruth Chou Simons’ new study, TruthFilled. In every changing season of life, we can rest in God’s character, rehearse our identity in Christ, respond in faith, and remember God’s provision for us. Join Ruth Chou Simons in this 7-session study of the book of Colossians as she leads us through a practice of preaching gospel truth to ourselves by studying Paul’s example. ![]() Yet we often find ourselves in these seasons, struggling to embrace the gospel hope we need to fill our discouraged souls. No one plans to wrestle with her identity in Christ, to struggle to love her husband, to feel lonely in ministry, or to feel helpless in motherhood. ![]() We’d never intentionally write chapters of confusion, failure, loss, pain, conflict, or suffering into our stories. Many of us want God’s Word to dwell richly in us, but life can get in the way. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” -Colossians 3:16a
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