Skip to main content

Impressed with Christ - The "Imprint" Factor


Impress to affect deeply or strongly.  It also means to apply with pressure so as to leave an imprint.

Imprinting goes on in nature.  A baby goose, for example, sees an adult goose and follows and copies the adult goose in all things goose. 

In our spiritual lives, imprinting also occurs.  Sometimes it is the imprint of the world upon us.  It molds us and shapes us.

Preferably, the imprinting that is going on in the Christian’s life is the imprint of Christ on us.  Colossians is rich with examples of Christ-like character that is or should be imprinted into the life of the believer:

Ø  We are to constantly bear fruit (1:6)

Ø  We are to be filled with the knowledge of His will (1:9)

Ø  We are to have spiritual wisdom and understanding (1:9)

Ø  We are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (1:10)

Ø  We are to please Him in all respects (1:10)

Ø  We are to bear fruit in every good work (1:10)

Ø  We are to increase in the knowledge of God (1:10)

Ø  We are to be strengthened with all power (1:11)

Ø  We are to attain to steadfastness and patience (1:11)

Ø  We are to joyously give thanks to the Father (1:11-12)

Ø  We are to put on the new self (3:10)

Ø  We are to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience (3:12)

Ø  We are to bear with one another, forgiving each other (3:13)

Ø  We are to put on love (3:14)

Ø  We are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (3:15)

Ø  We are to let the Word of God dwell in us richly (3:16)

These things do not happen automatically.  Nor do they happen without our participation.  But, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, we are to walk in Him, having been firmly rooted in Him, we are being built up in Him and established in our faith. (a paraphrase of portions of Col 2:6-7)

As we do all that, in His strength and power, Christ-like character is being imprinted on us.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Excel Still More!

To excel, according to some of the meanings from a few dictionaries, is to surpass others, do extremely well, outdo, do something better than anyone else. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, we find the phrase “excel still more”.   It prompts the question:  if we are already doing something better than anyone else, why would we be encouraged to do even more? Perhaps it would be helpful to see the wording that other translations use for “excel still more” to see why we would be encouraged to do so.  Here is a sampling: • abound more and more • to keep doing so more and more • but try even harder • live that way more and more. • that you progress even more. • that you increase more and more in how you ought to walk Maybe it would also be helpful to see some other verses where the word “excel” is used: “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means Dorcas); this woman was excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually.”...
Post a Comment
Read more

Value Proposition

Value proposition:  it’s a marketing statement that summarizes why a consumer should buy a product or use a service.  It should clearly and concisely communicate what customers can gain from selecting a particular brand over that of its competitors. In a value proposition, you don’t want your product to be viewed as being worth less than what your competitors offer.   But even worse, in a bit of a quirk of how letters and spaces can fall, if you take out the space between “worth” and “less”, you get “worthless”, which means something of no value.   If that word is used in conjunction with how your product is viewed by customers, it’s a word that will likely kill your brand. In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul, in a sense, communicated some value propositions. In chapter three, he starts off with describing the value of some things that many considered as extremely valuable in that day and age.   They had to do with status and achievement in the reli...
Post a Comment
Read more

Can't Get No Satisfaction

One of the songs that were popular in my youth was not particularly upbeat or helpful but it probably did express some of the angst of my generation.  It was not one that particularly resonated with me but as I recently read the book of Haggai, it did come to mind, well, at least some of the lyrics did.  It was the Rolling Stones song with the lyrics “I can’t get no satisfaction”.  Take a look at the chorus of that bleak song:   I can't get no satisfaction; I can't get no satisfaction; Gonna try and I try and I try and I try; I can't get no - I can't get no –   Now take a look at Haggai 1:6 – “ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” It sure sounds like the people of Judah couldn’t get any satisfaction with the things of life that normally should have brought some type of s...
Post a Comment
Read more