Day Ten - Fixing our Minds on Christ

There are some great nuggets of truth to share with you today as we continue to fix our minds on Christ and walk through the book of Colossians. 

Our target verse for today is 2:11-12. But because this is a continuation of Paul’s thoughts, we’ll also look at verses 9 and 10. 

For the entire fulness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by Him who is head over every ruler and authority. You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah. Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 

Colossians 2:9-12 (HCSB)

Outward Expressions of Inner Faith 

Now we know that both circumcision and baptism are outward expressions of an inner faith. The concept of circumcision goes all the way back to the to the Book of Genesis as part of the Abrahamic Covenant. This is the part of history where God said to Abraham, “I will be your God. You will be a great nation and I will give you the land as an everlasting possession.” As a sign of that covenant, God asked that adult males succumb to the practice of circumcision. That’s a big deal!

Those who were not circumcised declared that they were not part of the covenant. They were cut off from God and from his people. What Paul is teaching us is that through Christ, this work is already done. Not by human hands - not as an act in our flesh, but by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us through the Messiah. When we give our hearts to Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately comes and dwells in us. We are sealed in Him for the day of redemption and can no longer be cut off from being God’s people. What a beautiful truth and promise. 

Pure Motives 

We don’t want to engage in activities just for the sake of looking like a Christian or being noticed. My challenge today is to keep doing the good things. We do want to continue practicing works of faith, but we want to examine our motives. The first challenge today is to examine your motives and discover why you do the acts of faith that you do. If you find that your motives are questionable, I pray you’ll take that before the Lord and ask Him to cleanse and give you a fresh heart. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, He’ll purify our hearts.

When our hearts are impure, our actions mean nothing. When our hearts are pure, our actions are a work of the Lord and expression of our faith in Him. There’s a world of difference there. That is what the Lord seeks from us.

Knowing the God we Serve

Also, we can’t fully serve a God that we don’t know. I want to encourage you to stay in the word. You are doing a great thing in engaging with these devotions every day. I know how busy you are and how hard it is to get in the word every day. That’s why I’m posting these devotions for you. So that you can get in the Word every single day and learn more about Christ. Keep doing it. Keep on doing what you’re doing and get to know the Lord!

Your Work Makes a Difference

I’ll share with you that I am taking a class in Hebrew and find it very, very difficult. I’m learning Hebrew so that I can have a better understanding of God’s Word. Hebrew is the original language of the Bible - it’s God’s language. The more I know about that original language, the more Biblical truth unfolds - especially in the Old Testament which is written in Hebrew.

As I’ve struggled in the past few weeks, I made myself go back to the very beginning and look at some of the initial lessons. I found myself saying, “yes, I get that,” or “well, that’s easy.”  The Lord was showing me that we’re making progress. 

The work is paying off. It matters. I’m learning something.

As you stay in the Word, be encouraged in the same way. It is making a difference. It is being reflected in your life whether you can see it or not. God sees it and He is using it to do a work in you.

So come back and meet us here again tomorrow as we fix our minds on Christ and continue walking through the book of Colossians.

To view the video devotion, click here. 

Cathy McIntosh is the author of Victorious: Finding Triumph When Hope Seems Lost. When you can’t see God’s activity in your situation, you might begin to feel hopeless. You’re tempted to doubt His care and involvement in your life because He feels so . . . absent. Victory feels elusive as if God intends it for everyone but you.

But God is never absent. He is as involved in your life today as He was when He protected Queen Esther and the entire Jewish nation from annihilation, and He will bring victory.  Click here to purchase.