On the first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene showed up at the empty tomb in the dark. We, too, are often in the dark about God’s plans. None of the disciples considered Jesus’s resurrection as a possibility after his death, even though Jesus had told them directly that he would, in fact, rise again on the third day. Just like the disciples, if your mind is made up about what God should do, you might miss what he’s actually doing. In spite of the evidence staring you in the face and in spite of your feelings, God is up to something!

In Colossians 3:8, we’re called to rid ourselves of anger and rage. Anger itself is not a sin—it can be a helpful emotion to catalyze change, bring accountability, and keep us from harm. However, anger as a tool is challenging to get right. Your raging and ranting may seem effective, but the relational collateral damage may be irreparable. When you feel the root of anger take hold, take the bible's advice to arrive at anger only after great deliberation and dragging your feet. To experience the new life God has promised us, be slow to anger.

In a single breath in Colossians 3:5, the Apostle Paul goes right from talking about sex to talking about money. This taboo topic is important to address, because, like sex, money has the power to become an idol. Jesus calls us to put our greed to death, so he can bring our generosity to life. What the bible reveals about money is so much more than about our relationship with money—it’s about how we view life, how we understand God, and how we treat others. How you give shows how you feel about what you’ve been given.

Colossians 3 continues with a call to put to death sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Paul makes a big deal out of sexual sin—but not just to shame people into a chaste way of life, but because he knows sex is powerful. Few things have more power over humanity as sex, which is why we better know how to use it properly. There’s no such thing as casual sex.

The opening verses of Colossians 3 give us hope. We have hope not only because our past has been swallowed up by Jesus’s death and because we are hidden and secure in his life in the present. But we have hope in the future. Without hope, all you can see is what has happened to you; with hope, you can see what God is doing in you. Hope doesn’t stop life from happening, and since we know the end of the story, hope shapes what happens next.

The logic in Colossians 3:3 is clear: if you want to live a new life in Christ, you need to die to your old life. Becoming a disciple of Jesus will cost you! It requires that you deny yourself and put your desires as secondary—every moment of every day, in every aspect of your career, your family, your relationships, and your whole life. But this directive to die to yourself is not intended to deter you from following Jesus. The cost of not following Jesus is greater by far. In order to truly live the abundant life Christ offers you, you’ve got to die before you die.

Many of us consider our thoughts and feelings as something that happen to us, as if we have no control over our thoughts. But that’s not true! You have control over your thoughts—and your thoughts have power. Colossians 3:2 directs you to “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Before your thoughts dominate you with fear, anxiety, worry, dread, shame, or insecurity, take stock of what you’re thinking about. Direct your thoughts before they direct you.

As Dallas Willard has said, Jesus came not just to get people into heaven, but to get heaven into people. As God’s people, we are called to a new life—a life of joy, peace, patience and gentleness. A life free of sin, shame, and selfishness. In this study through Colossians 3:1-17, may your eyes be open to the life you could live, and then may your heart be open to actually living it.

At first glance, there are some strange stories in the Bible! Leviticus is one such book that sounds strange and foreign when you first read it. Without understanding its full meaning, reading Leviticus could perpetuate the false narrative that the God of the Old Testament was always angry and hung up on legalistic rituals and laws—or the false narrative that you and I are too unholy to experience God’s love. But a deeper reading of Leviticus, in the full context of the entire story of the Bible, you’ll discover that God’s love is revealed on every page. On every page of the Bible, God says “I’ve made a way for you to be brought from death to life.” And the more you’re able to see his love on every page of the Bible, the more you’ll see his love in your every day.

Isaiah 40 contains some of the most beautiful poetry in the Old Testament—where the weak become strong, where the tired soar on wings like eagles, where runners finish the race strong, and where the fragile keep walking forward with confidence. The passage reminds us of God’s greatness. His strength and power is beyond description, and cannot be limited by our worldly perspective. And you, as his follower, have access to this strength, today and every day. He won't fail!