Covenant Grove Daily Devotionals

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at Gods right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Dont be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Dont lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesnt matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Not everything we think and feel is good and right. There is a lot of our old lives still lurking inside. When we became Christians, we died to our old lives, and our true lives are with Christ in heaven. As we focus on Him, we live out the life of heavena life of contentment, peace, encouragement, truth, purity, and joy.

This is easier said than done. Verse 3 says that we have (already) died with Christ; verse 5 says we need to put to death the earthly things inside of us (not yet done). We live with the reality of already and not yet; we are already purified, and not yet completely pure. We need to live out the reality of the cross and resurrection, choosing each day to follow Jesus and put to death the selfishness living inside of us. Jesus lives inside of us, helping us live out this sacrifice, but He will not force us to choose Him. We must make the daily decisions to go His way. We follow Christ, who chose the cross and overcame sin and death.

The world regularly tells us that selfishness is good. We are told lust is good because it sells, that greed is good because it helps the economy, and that rage is good because we are venting. Powerful people prey on our selfish desires to increase their own selfish power. Everything we think and feel is not right; humans nature has been corrupted. Lust disconnects us from humanity, greed pulls us away from beauty and what really matters, and rage hurts others and acts like our feelings are more important than the feelings of others. We have to choose each day to ignore the lies and half-truths of a world that wants to exploit us and damage our souls. This starts by focusing our thoughts on Christ and surrendering to His way of freedom and love. God has given us life, and we have all we need in Him.What are some of the areas of sin and selfishness you are battling right now? How is Jesus helping you in this battle?

So dont let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Dont let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, Dont handle! Dont taste! Dont touch!? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a persons evil desires.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Shadows or reality: which will you follow? The Colossians were giving ear to false teaching because it looked so piouswith harsh discipline, special ceremonies, angel worship, and a unique diet. These things appeared spiritual and wise, but they were only shadows. Following these human rules leads to pride. The reality is Christ; following Him connects us to our Creator and leads to fulfillment. We don't need arrogancetrying to prove our worth by being better than othersbecause we are fulfilled by the Source of life and love.

Other religions and philosophies are not all wrong; they are shadows. All truth is Gods truth. But our goal is not to follow the shadows that lead to pride. Only the living Christ can give us true fulfillment. Tragically, even many Christians follow the shadow of human rules and piety, living with arrogance and not overflowing love. As we talk to those who are following other religious rules or their own rules of living, we can affirm their longing for God and point them to the Reality beyond the shadows. Jesus is fully God, and He lives in us, so we can have the fullness of Gods love inside of us, living lives of overflowing joy. Connect to Christ and His life and live out that reality each day.Honestly, are you more focused on the rules or on Jesus? Rules are still helpful. How can you follow Gods rules but point people to a living relationship with God?

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Dont let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. When you came to Christ, you were circumcised, but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcisionthe cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you remember when you first gave your life to Jesus? Remembering that first love helps grow our roots deeper in that love. As time goes on, it is easy to forget our first love and water down His truth with the deception of the world. It is good to realize again and again how much God loves us: Jesus died for us, we are forgiven, His hope gives us strength, and He is with us in our pain.

The Colossian Christians were being tempted to give into false teaching. The crooked thinking was based on the power of the worldwhich was shamed by the victory of Christ on the cross (v.15). One of the reasons Paul wrote this letter was to warn the Colossians about the false teaching. He encouraged them to grow their roots in the faith they were taught and be strong in their first love.What is your story of being saved by Jesus? How can you remember and live out your first love for Jesus today?

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to Gods people. For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. Thats why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christs mighty power that works within me.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand Gods mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our job is to serve Christ and share His hope wherever we are. Paul worked hard to tell others about Christ. He struggled tirelessly to help people know the mystery that Christ can live inside of them. Paul was dependent on the power of Christ so that people would understand Gods plan and live in His love. He warned people of false teaching that would rob them of the joy that only Christ can give.

Christ is working to grow each person closer to God. Following Jesus means that we work with Him; this is part of our calling. This happens in ministry, of course, but it also happens at work, at home, and with friends and family. Serving Jesus doesnt just happen at church; it can happen everywhere. Every day we have opportunities to live out our calling with Christ. He has filled us with His love and power to share His hopewhich people so desperately need. It starts by each day focusing on our callingto be closer to Christ and to help others be closer to Him as well. No matter where we are, we can serve in this way. Live out your calling today.Our job is to serve Christ and share His hope wherever we are. How are you doing at your job? How can you live out your calling today?

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we cant see such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christs blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Dont drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as Gods servant to proclaim it.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God's truth only changes our lives if we stand firm in it. These verses are a hymn about Christs power and exalted position. Christ is fully God; therefore, the fullness of God lives in Him. He made everything, and He is supreme over all creation. He is the head of the Church and made peace with everything in heaven and earth. Paul didn't just write out the lines of the hymn; he applied them to the Colossians. They had been reconciled; they were blameless in the sight of God because they trusted in Jesus. Guilt was gone, and they had a new relationship with God that changed everything.

It is not enough to know the right things; we have to really live them out. We can take in much information, but faith isn't just knowledge: it is living trust. Faith means living out God's truth in our hearts, minds, and actions. Only then will faith really be alive to experience the power of God's Word. Too often people read the Bible but don't do anything about it. Too often a sermon is listened to, but no one asks, What action or habit should I put into action this week? Don't overthink itjust read God's message and put it into action.If Christ is supreme over all creation, what can this mean in your life today? What is one verse you can remember and live out today?

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. We are writing to Gods holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace. We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of Gods people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about Gods wonderful grace. You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christs faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you. So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are more things to pray for each other than just our immediate needs. Paul prayed for the Colossians. He had not met the Colossian church, which was a plant from Ephesus, started by Epaphras. Paul thanked God for their faith and love. He prayed that God would grow their knowledge of Him and His will. He also prayed that they would be filled with God's power and joy.

Many Christians pray for each other, but they often spend most of their time praying for their immediate needsstress, health, problems, etc. It is good to pray for these things, but these verses show there are more things to pray for, too. We need to be praying for each other to grow closer to Christ, stronger in His power, and more full of His joy. As we get closer to God, many of life's problems will get smaller which decreases fear and anxiety.

How can you be praying for the deeper needs of others today? When you ask for prayer from others, what are some deeper prayers you can ask for (Gods power, joy, growth, maturity, etc.)

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it againrejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Dont worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience Gods peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from meeverything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We can't follow Jesus only with our words; we must follow Him with our actions in real life. There are some real-life problems described in these verses. Two Christian leaders were disagreeing, and they were urged to work out their problem. Paul was unjustly imprisoned, but he challenged his readers to be joyful always. In this letter, Paul wrote repeatedly about the joy that comes from Christ. Having the joy of the Spirit doesnt mean Christians dont have hardships; it means we have Christ to walk with us, and guide us through the trials. As we give our prayer requests to God, we can live without worry and experience God's peace. And as we fix our thoughts on good things, we can put what we believe into practice.

Real life makes it really hard to live out what we believe. It is easier to complain to others than cast our cares on the Lord. It is easier to have a bad attitude than fix our eyes on what is good, noble, admirable, and true. The Lord doesnt offer us the easy way; He shows us the best way. It will not be easy. Christ has walked the hard road and been victorious. He lives in us and gives us strength to overcome.How do you take your faith from only knowledge to living it out practically? What does it look like to experience Gods joy, even in the hard times?'

How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didnt have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I dont say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the moment I have all I needand more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. Give my greetings to each of Gods holy peopleall who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. And all the rest of Gods people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesars household. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The verse I can do all things through Him who gives me strength was originally written in a context about generosity and contentment. Generosity doesn't come from wealth but from contentment. Paul taught and lived a life of contentment. He was in prison yet rejoiced, he could live on almost nothing, and his life's goal was to live out the call of Christ. The Philippians modeled generosity. They were not the richest people, but they continually gave to God's work.

People often think they will be more generous when they have more. But generosity comes when we understand the secret of living in every situation; it comes from having the joy that only Christ can give. That is why those with very little are often willing to give so much away. As a person focuses on Christ, they can give away more, live with greater simplicity, and experience greater joy.How does focusing on Christ help make a person more giving? Where in your life is God calling you to greater contentment and generosity?

I dont mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We can't change the past, but God can change our futures. Paul did wrong and shameful things in his past. He also had some accomplishments that he once considered priceless but then considered worthless. He chose to move past his past and walk forward into a new future with Jesus. Paul traveled many miles and planted many churches to spread the good news about Jesus. His whole life was about being close to Christ. This was his calling and his new future.

These verses challenge us to walk forward with Christ. We can leave behind our mistakes because, in Christ, we are forgiven. We must leave behind our accomplishments and press on to the goal of our faith. Our past shapes us, but we are shaped even more by our future as we walk with Christ. Press on to the goal. Run the race with Christ. You are not defined by your past but by your future with Jesus.What are some mistakes you need to surrender to Christ? What are some accomplishments you need to surrender as well? How can you let the future with Christ shape you more than the past?

Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamina real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For Gods way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What are your trophies? What are the accomplishments that you value above all? Paul had trophies, the highest honors in his culture. When he hit rock bottom, it was the best thing that happened to him. He realized that his trophies were worthless. Nothing is more important than knowing Christ. Church planting, evangelism, and writing letters were not new trophies that drove Paul forwardhis first passion was to know Christ more. Paul was even willing to suffer and die to becloser to Christ.

As long as you pursue the trophies of culture you miss out on the life that is true life. There truly is nothing greater than knowing Christnot just knowing a few things about Him but really knowing Him and being known by Him. The best thing that can happen is when we consider our trophies garbage and pursue Christ. Then we will shine with His life. This is how Paul radiated joyeven in prison.Think about the passions and pursuits of your life. Are you pursuing Christ or your own trophies? How can you turn your passions to know Christ more and more?