NIPTO, Day 331

Hey all! Today's going to be a "solo-NIPTO" day. Maybe. I'll think about it and see how much time I have afterwards.

Colossians 2:16-22
 ¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.


Paul's basically saying "You shouldn't care what people think about what you eat or drink, or what people think about 'religious festivals' because it doesn't really matter. What really matters is found in Christ."




¹⁸ Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. ¹⁹They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Don't let people who worship false "idols" determine who you are. Don't let them "disqualify" you from the race. They have their own ideas. We have GOD's ideas. They don't have the communication and connection that we have with God. The communication with other believers too! 

 ²⁰ Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: ²¹ “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?

It's challenge time: since we died with Christ and to the world, why do we act like we didn't? Why do we still behave like other people do? 

 ²² These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. ²³ Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. 

The rules that we have all have to do with earthly things that are based on human commands and teachings. Those regulations have to do with the appearance of wisdom and "self-imposed worship." It all has to do with a false sense of humility and treating your body badly. But they're worthless. The rules don't have value in "restraining sensual indulgence." 

I think I'm going to have to do a post about Hannah and my meeting with Brandon today. It was good. And I'm peacing out.
Hah.

NIPTO, Day 330

Today has been laid back, for the most part. Got up (kind of), laid in bed and read chapter 2 of Becoming A Contagious Christian by Bill Hybles. Then I got out of bed and ate breakfast. Surfed the 'net for a bit. Talked to Lauren about ballet this spring. Went on a walk. Ate lunch and watched Chuck. Went to babysit. Came home from babysitting 30 minutes after arriving. Did some plies because I'm cool like that. Listened to Dave Ramsey and made the playlist that I'm listening to right now.

NIPTO? Methinks yes.
Colossians 2:6-15
 ⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

As Christians we need to remain/stay in Christ. We need to be deeply rooted in him... like a tree. When firmly rooted in faith we're

strengthened and have more of an ability to be thankful. 

 ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

We need to make sure that we stay in truth. People will try to deceive us. Or at least try to get us distracted from God.

 ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Jesus lives in bodily form. Flesh and blood. And through Jesus we've "been brought to fullness." Whatever that means. Jesus... or God... has power over everything. All powers and authorities. 

And then there's some stuff about circumcision. The old self was put away when we were circumcised by Christ. Buried in baptism (sin was drowned. Hah.) and then raised as Jesus was.

 ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

When we were dead, God made us alive. He forgave us in our "dead-ness" and canceled our sins. Our sins were nailed to the cross. God made a public spectacle of our sins and won against our sins on the cross. AWESOME!

It's time for dinner. Sooooooo adios!

NIPTO, Day 329

I didn't go to sleep for a very long time last night. And therefore I am tired. Today was a good day, however.
Got up. Went to church. Had a good discussion in Sunday School about walking with God. Talked to people after church. Came home. Ate lunch. ermmm..... went for a walk. Watched an episode of What Not To Wear and the finale of Chuck. Then went to youth group. Talked to Jami, Kaytee, and Hannah for a long while. Brandon talked and it was fantastic. I'm still thinking about it.
Hannah and I ate second dinner&dessert when we got home. And now we're watching Undercover Boss.

NIPTO.
Colossians 2:1-5
¹ I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.


Paul was a contender. He fought for those people. He fought for people that didn't even know him. 




² My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.


Paul fought for people so that they would be encouraged and brought together as a community. He fought so that the mystery of God would be revealed to those people.




⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.⁵ For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.


He told all of them that so that they would be informed, not deceived. Even though Paul wasn't with them in person, he was with them in spirit. He was delighted to see their discipline and firmness in faith.






I'm going to go think. And read and pray.
Adios.

NIPTO, Day 328

Happy New Year, all!
Today's been a good first day of 2011! I ended up going to bed around 2:30 (I think... maybe 2:00). Slept until almost 11. Went to Panera and got our free stuff from our Panera Cards. Stayed until almost 2, I think. Then we came home and took down the Christmas tree. And then we cleaned out some of the storage in the basement. Hannah and I shredded a LOT of papers. We ate dinner around 6:30. Hannah and I shredded some more papers and then we cleaned everything up and watched an episode of What Not To Wear and an episode of Psych. And now my dad is watching The Three Stooges. Which I've never seen, yet it seems humorous.

NIPTO!
Colossians 1:24-29
²⁴ Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.


Paul learned to rejoice in suffering. He suffered to "fill up... what [was] still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions." Ermm. Yeah. That's dedication. Paul suffered for the church body. 




²⁵ I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ²⁶ the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Paul wasn't a servant by his own choice. He was commissioned by God to be a bearer of the gospel. The word of God was a mystery that had been kept hidden for ages and generations but was finally disclosed to God's people. God chose to make known the hope of the glory of Christ in us. 

 ²⁸ He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. ²⁹ To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.

Christ is the one that we proclaim. He's the one in whose name we admonish and teach everyone with the wisdom given to us SO THAT we will be able to present everyone as fully mature Christians. And because of that goal, Paul worked strenuously with all the energy that Christ gave him. 




I've decided that this year I am going to try my best to give it to God and make it a God-centered 2011.
And I'm going to try to eat better and have a planned exercise regime. But I'm going to lay back and watch how God works in my life this year.

This video... When I read Col. 1:25-27, I immediately thought of this song. I danced to this song back in March. I'm going to find that video some time, and if I deem it worthy, I'll post it.
Listen to the lyrics in this song. Pray these lyrics. It's amazing.



I'm going to go to bed now. At a "reasonable" hour!

WOOOOOOO!

Happy New Year, blog readers!
I have a feeling that it's going to be a good year!
Welcome to 2011! :)