The halfbaked Bard

What is the key to bear, love and forgive? In the midst of unbearable circumstances, how do you make yourself a loving and forgiving person? Especially when you are not able to.  Col 3:16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  This is as simple as that. Feed yourself with the right things and your character will change. If you force yourself into changing yourself- if only the outward things are changed, then things won't look long lasting. It would be superficial and futile. But   an inward change will happen when, you feed yourself with things of the God and you will imbibe God's nature.  Feed yourself with the things of this world and you will become as the world behaves - a carnal man. Driven by earthly passions. Motivated by world's goals. Running in the rut. You feed on rude comments in the social media, ...

Bear with each other. Col:3:13 Bear with each other means, adjust with each other. There might be unbearable circumstances created by incorrigible people. People who keep doing the same irritating inveterate things again and again. Keep bearing. Keep forgiving. Forgiving whatever grievances you may have against one another (v:13b) And over all these virtues, put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity (v:14) But what if you are not able to bear? If you are not able to forgive? If you are unable to love? Ask God to help you bear them; help you forgive them; help you love them There is no point in remembering their flaws and maintaining a strained relation  Forgive. Choose to forgive. Tell yourself it is okay and deal with them lovingly. Pray for them Image credit: https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=hugging+teddy+bears

Put to death therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. Col:3:5 Setting your hearts on things above; put to death your earthly nature. Not passive. But proactive drastic measures. Put to death. You must rid yourselves (v:8). Those earthly nature things have been equated to idolatory. Which the Lord abhors. The old self. The old way of talking. The old desires and language. The old nature and passions. The old way of reacting, has all been nailed to the cross. You need not and should not bring it back.  You used to walk in these ways of your loving.  But now you must get rid of them all. Because you are a new creation now. You need not respond in the way you used to react to - in greed, in malice, in foul language, in anger, in evil desires. These are already nailed to the cross. Now it's upto you to get rid of it fully.

Col:3:1 Set your hearts on things above. Since you have been raised with Christ Since you have been called out of the system of the world  Set your eyes on things not of this world But above. In the heavenly realms. Not the foolish frenetic running. Not running in the rut. But on things above. Fix your eyes on Jesus. His beauty you behold. His magnificent persona you pursue. His hands you hold. His footsteps you follow For your life is now hidden in Christ In Him alone is your purpose.

Col:2:19 He has 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. Have you lost connection with the Head? The most pertinent question that you need to ask yourself. A connection which started on love. A connection maintained by discipline. A connection most needed for you to grow well. Because the head directs. The head knows. When the liver decides to grow on its own, it is cancerous. When the liver decides to grow a cartilage in it, comparing itself with its fellow, it is called a hamartoma. When the liver stops it's function, it fails to detoxify and it is harmful for the entire body. The head will direct. The head knows. The liver submits to the head. The liver is answerable to the head. The liver is connected to the head and this connection is quintessential for the designed purpose of the liver. Are you carcinomatous / hamartomatous/ toxic organ which is disconnected to ...

See to it that no one takes you captive... (in) the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Col:2:8 Originally designed - fallen. And because you were fallen; you were designed to live in accordance with the basic principles of the world. But now Christ has died for you. Your eyes are now opened. You are His property now. You need not follow these basic principles of this world. You have been set free indeed. Now you are in Christ and you follow the principles of the heavenly kingdom. Earlier you were not able to. But now you are free to. Earlier you were unable to put off the sinful nature. But now you can. Because the Son is in you. Having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God. Col:2:12. You were dead and not inclined to the things of God. But now you are alive. To explain further, you are now dead to the worldly system. You are not forced to follow that fallen system anymore. You need not. The written cod...