Whew! We will conclude our cleaning out project with this segment! Has it been difficult to decide what needs to go? Or, has it been easy to decide what needs to go~~but hard to throw them out?
If you recall, this entire series from Colossians 3 started out as discipleship devotional material for a new believer who was interested in knowing where to begin in her new Christian walk. We know it is important for new believers to change their ‘outfits’ once they have become new in Christ. But, I wonder how long it has been since some of us who have been saved for a long time have cleaned out our heart’s closet. I bet we have refilled it several times with ‘outfits’ from our former lives before salvation! Agree?
For the past few weeks we have exterminated and thrown away these non-fitting and out of style ‘outfits’ from our ‘closets’. Can we brush off our hands, sit down, and say “whew, we are done with that job!” Not quite yet. There is one more outfit we need to get rid of.
Let’s consider that ‘outfit’ still in our ‘closet’ that no longer fits and really is out of style—but—it was one of our favorites. Maybe we are saving it, you know, just in case????
Paul places great emphasis on this one last outfit. He is short, blunt, and to the point. He simply states in verse 9, “Do not lie to one another.” Throw out that outfit, too! Don’t hang on to it! You won’t (shouldn’t) wear it anymore. It will never fit in your new lifestyle again, so don’t even think about keeping it!
Have you ever stopped to consider what the Bible says about lying? Let’s take a look!
1. 1. In John 8:44 Jesus refers to Satan and states that he, “…does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resourses, for he is a liar and a father of it.” Thus, “When a Christian lies, he is cooperating with Satan; when he speaks the truth in love, he is cooperating with the spirit of God.” (Wiersbe-Be Complete, Colossians)
Remember, we are new creatures in Christ ~and Christ IS TRUTH! Talk about the perfect outfit!
2. 2. One of my favorite verses to share with children is found in Proverbs 12:22. It states:
: Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truly are His delight.
3. 3. And, don’t forget that lying is one of the 7 abominations listed in Proverbs 6:16-19.
GOD HATES LYING!!!
We know what constitutes a lie, even if we try to justify it. Plain and simple, a lie is a misrepresentation of the truth. We know when we are putting on that ‘outfit’! Paul is bluntly telling the new Colossian believers, don’t do it! So we might as well just throw it out instead of keeping in our closet taking up space!
Well, now our ‘closet’ should be well cleaned out and pretty empty. Maybe some of us have thrown out more than others have, but regardless, we are left with empty spaces in our heart's closet. NOW, who wants an empty closet? So, I guess it is time to go on a shopping spree and add some new and exciting ‘outfits’ in the verses to follow! Whoo hoo!!!!
Let's be truthful,
Debbie
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