The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Colossians 3:1-2,
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
Paul lays out his exhortation as to how one might be successful in "restraining sensual indulgence." Colossians 2:23. He tells his readers to set their hearts and minds on "things above." Clearly he is speaking to his readers to focus, to control their hearts as well as their minds. Obviously, his appeal is to something other than people's minds and people's hearts, and that something "other" is to control the mind and the heart. If you follow me, there is that within us that is neither the mind or the heart, but that which can control both. In another letter we see Paul making the same appeal, except that it is the body that is to be controlled, "each of you should learn to control your own body..." 1 Thessalonians 4:4. It is to that part of us in God's design that we call our "spirit" that Paul speaks. He speaks directly to our spirits.
Here we see some part of our being addressed that is not our hearts, not our minds and not our bodies. Our "spirit" is that part of us that connects with God and is that part of our being Paul speaks to in the above verses. We read verses like "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." Romans 8:16. Our spirit is separate from our minds and other faculties, "For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them?" 1 Corinthians 2:11. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, we see Paul distinguishing between our spirit, soul and body. The writer of Hebrews makes a distinction between our souls and spirits, "The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.
Something we need to know is that when we die physically, our spirits remain, "So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord." Death is defined by James as that time when our spirits depart our bodies, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
Paul also speaks of that which can contaminate both our bodies and spirits, 2 Corinthians 7:1. Spirits can be imprisoned, "After being made alive, he [Jesus] went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built." 1 Peter 3:19-20.
Paul talks about his spirit praying, 1 Corinthians 14:14, and singing, verse 15. We see that spirits can be refreshed, 2 Corinthians 7:13.
Perhaps this observation may be of little consequence, but it does help us understand how wonderfully we are made and what it is of us that is not extinguished when we experience our physical deaths. Our spirits live on following our deaths, that part of us that was directly spoken to by Paul and others in Scripture, that part of us that relates to God, that part of us where our conscience dwells, that part of us that is to bring all other parts into obedience. It is also that part of us that will be reunited with our resurrected bodies.
"May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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