What, Dad? This has to be one of the most frustrating phrases heard as a parent after you have given a CLEAR instruction to your child. Picture the scene: kid is watch a show, parent asks them to stop and clean their room, child responds with “What, Dad” even though they clearly heard. Nothing makes a parent more frustrated than willful disobedience. I think we can equally say nothing must be more frustrating to God than our willful disobedience.
Stop and consider for a minute how often in the past day or even week you chose, in spite of knowing what God has told us to do, to do the opposite. How heartbreaking that must be to our Savior watching us willfully choose to go back to the bondage of sin that he set us free from.
You begin to experience this sentiment from Paul in Col 3. Paul is reminding them of who they are in Christ but also calling them away from the idolatry and rebellion of continuing in willful sin as a follower of Christ.
Paul gives three helpful points here in helping us avoid having this reality develop in our lives.
First, we must focus on Christ and align ourselves with His truth! In doing this, we will allow the fruit of the Spirit to abound in our lives and we avoid living in the spirit of the “old man.”
Second, we must take willful action to fight sin in our lives. To have a successful and vibrant spiritual life, there is no room for apathy when it comes to sin. Avoid it. Protect yourself from it. Rely on the Spirit to give you victory over the temptations that appeal to our flesh.
Third, actively continue to live out our faith with boldness. Paul as he finishes up chapter three highlights how we should be living. Pursuing spiritual maturity isn’t about just stop doing bad, it is about living in obedience and submission to Christ for His honor and glory.
When it comes to our spiritual life, may we not react “What?!” but one of obedience.
Pastor Derek