IronGuys Law Enforcement Ministries
"WORDS OF WISDOM"
By Police Chaplains
"Are You Still Wearing the Old You"
By
Doni Daudel
Chaplain, Beaumont (CA) Police Department
When one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
41 “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43
In Colossians 3:1-11 Paul speaks of the “old man” plagued with sin and the “works of the flesh.” In verses 8-10, Paul wrote: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him..” In verses 12-13, Paul wrote: “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do..” Before we put on Christ, we must “put off” or “take off our flesh.”
The message God gives us through Paul is that life is a constant battle between the “Spirit” and our “Flesh.” The “Flesh” is always seeking personal glory and pleasure where the “Spirit” is always seeking to honor God and bless others. The “old man” is always going to fight. We do our part to cast the “old man” off, yet he clings to us like a second skin. The “old man” is constantly lurking for opportunities to grab us, bind us and bury us! We must “fight the good fight of faith” and clothe ourselves with Christ in prayer, study, fellowship and accountability.
God has packed enough information into Colossians 3 to do many Bible studies. I encourage you to spend time prayerfully digging into this chapter. I’ll close with a few points God pricked my heart with. “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice”(v8). Anger, wrath and malice are all the traits we see in the religious leaders. They are narcissistic, self-seeking and driven by the flesh. “Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do”(v12-13). Every word in these verses describes Christ and what He has done and is doing with and for us every moment of every day. And the final verse that says it all, verse 14: “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” Work diligently and daily to remove and cast off the “old man” and put on “Christ” as you walk faithfully and obediently in the “Spirit”.