Colossians 4v5-6
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Our witness to Christ relies heavily on our actions and our words so let us take advantage of that speaking with grace and encouragement to combat the ridiculous negativity found in this world. This day and everyday is the day the Lord has made so there is reason for joy; let’s spread it through kind words and open ears and speaking Godly wisdom to those around us.

Colossians 3v1-11
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

We are saved by a Holy and righteous God who gave His very being to the world as a sacrifice to be lifted up over death and reign forever. Let us live like it. Let us live the example of Christ to not be confused with this world but the next which we are so graciously offered in Christ alone. We have life and a hope to ETERNITY we have to show it to this world and bring others with us. It is the call of every person who has been made alive in Christ.

Colossians 2v10-15
and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Let us all remember that we are dead without the sacrifice of Christ. Sometimes it is easy to take for granted the price paid for us and the sentence of hell we are given without Christ. But now we are made alive! Risen as he was risen in the power of God. We have new life, we have new hope every single day of this life and let’s make it count, not for our glory but His for what He so graciously gave us; the right to call Him father.

Colossians 1v21-23
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his (Jesus) body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

We are made clean, we are made righteous, we are reconciled through Christ alone. But we must hold strongly to our faith in the gospel to stay there by feeding on His word spending time in His presence and getting rid of our desires and letting His will take hold of our lives.

Philippians 4v4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let us focus our lives on rejoicing in the greatness of our God with eyes to see everything He has done rather than what we don’t have. Joy comes from the Lord and is dependent on our perspective. Let us pray ALWAYS and find peace this 2012.

Philippians 3v13-15
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

Leave the past behind, move on with authority, obedience, and confidence in Christ to a life that is now worthy of righteousness. We can’t let the devil use the past to keep us from the great plan God has for us in His future.

Philippians 3v20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.