Daily Reading for Personal Growth, 40 Days with God

Keep Focusing on the Messiah

3 Therefore, if you have been raised with the Messiah,^[a] keep focusing on the things that are above, where the Messiah^[b] is seated at the right hand of God. ² Keep your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. ³ For you have died, and your life has been safely guarded by the Messiah^[c] in God. ⁴ When the Messiah,^[d] who is^[e] your^[f] life, is revealed, then you, too, will be revealed with him in glory.

⁵ So put to death your worldly impulses:^[g] sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶ It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.^{[h] 7} You used to behave like them as you lived among them. ⁸ But now you must also get rid of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene speech, and all such sins. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old nature with its practices ¹⁰ and have clothed yourselves with the new nature, which is being renewed in full knowledge, consistent with the image of the one who created it. ¹¹ In him^[i] there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,^[j] slave, or free person. Instead, the Messiah^[k] is all and in all.