It's about 5:30 in the morning, and I am sitting in my living quarters on a drilling rig in South Texas, about 20 miles from the Mexican border. I just finished doing all of my chemical tests, and turning in my morning reports. I am drinking my second cup of coffee, and thinking about what I am going to write for this month's issue of the Christian Online Magazine.

As I sit here, I think about the surroundings that I have out here in the oil patch. I think about the rough language, the stories of getting drunk, and of the tales of woman chasing that the roughnecks so often like to brag about. Then I remember how years ago, before I came to know Jesus Christ, I would have been found sitting right in the middle of the group, and sharing the same stories. I would cuss with the best of them. I had plenty of stories to tell about my drunken times, and of the women I had been with. My life was just as messed up as the rest of them. Then I died.

Last night I had the opportunity to share my happiness in Jesus Christ with one of the roughnecks out here. Pete came into my trailer after returning from Laredo. He had been drinking, and he came in to tell me about all of the "fine looking" women that were at this new club that had opened. Then Pete told me how the ATM machine would not give him any money so he could not stay and party with the many ladies. Here was my chance to tell Pete about Jesus Christ, and how Jesus had really changed my life.

I started by telling him that maybe God was taking care of him by not letting him get that money. I told him about how I used to drink, and about the drugs that I used to do. I told Pete about how my life had become so worthless and without meaning. I continued by telling him of the circumstances that led me to know Jesus Christ, and that since I received Jesus Christ into my life, I have never been happier. Pete and I ended up visiting for over an hour, and when he left I began to reflect about Christian life. Colossians 3:1-17 really sums up the petition for holy living. We are to have heavenly thoughts and desires. We are to put to death the earthly nature, and put on the love of Jesus Christ.

As born again Christians we were raised up with Jesus Christ. We were resurrected from the dead lives that we once lived, and now instead of living for the world, and all of the sinful ways that we used to live, we live for Jesus Christ.

When we died in our old ways we put to death the many sinful things that consumed us. We put to death the lustful thoughts, and the sexual impurity. We no longer are to have evil desires and live lives of greed. We have been given the Holy Spirit power to turn away from those things. We have the ability to control our temper, and not go into the fits of rage, anger, malice, and slander that used to develop when things did not go our way. Because of being born again we no longer have a worldly vocabulary made up of cussing and other forms of defiled language. Our old selves passed away, they died, and we are a new creation, born again, in Jesus Christ.

Being a new creation in Jesus Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit we are now one of God's chosen people, being holy and preciously loved. We can now live our lives in the nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has a character of pure love, and being born again we are also to have the same character as Jesus. We are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We must learn to forgive others in just the same way as God has forgiven us. We must bind these virtues with love to fasten them all together in perfect unity. We are to let the love and peace of Jesus Christ rule our hearts, because we are members of the body of Christ and we are called to peace.

As followers of Christ we are to let the love of Jesus exist in us always as we teach each other, and counsel each other with wisdom, and as we give praise with a thankful heart to God. Finally in whatever we do, whether in word or in deed, we are to do it all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through Jesus Christ.

In closing, I would like to leave you with the same petition that Paul gave to the church at Colosse. It is contained in Colossians 4:2-6.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

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