Each of us makes a decision each day. We recognize that the most important "you" of our personality is the one who is in Heaven at the right hand of God, waiting to return and govern the nations, or else we spend almost all of our time and strength living in the "you" who is on the earth, the "you" who is supposed to be dead, according to the Scripture.

Perhaps the reader by this time, if he is a Christian, has decided his real "you" is the one hidden in Christ at the right hand of God. Colossians claims his first "you" is dead, and so there is nothing to be gained by focusing on that which is dead.

But practically, how do we nourish and build up the real "you," the eternal "you," the one slated to enter the joy of the Lord?

First we must set our mind on things above, not on earthly things. The crux of the matter is right here.

This does not mean we are to ignore the conduct of our old nature, as in the teaching of Gnosticism. Later we will discuss the role of the old nature under the new covenant.

Nourishing and building up the new man, the one at the right hand of God, is largely a matter of priorities, of where we place the emphasis of our life.

In America there are numerous opportunities for anyone who desires to take advantage of them, opportunities for education, to make money, to develop a talent, to gain political office. None of these is sin as such. The problem is, they consume our time and energy to the point Christ is not formed in us. We neglect our salvation. We are diverted away from the one important issue in life—that of establishing our position at the right hand of the Father.

We nourish and build up our real "you" by praying without ceasing. We must never become so occupied with the affairs of this life that we forget to pray about every decision we make.

We nourish and build up our real "you" by receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Every time we deny ourselves, turning away from that which we desire when we know it is not God's will for us, we are given the body and blood of Christ in the spirit realm to strengthen us against evil.

We nourish and build up our real "you" as we resist the sins and rebellions of our first personality, putting them to death by the wisdom and strength the Spirit of God gives us.

We nourish and build up our real "you" as we cheerfully carry our personal cross of denial and disappointment, remaining in the prison where God has placed us.

We nourish and build up our real "you" by gathering frequently with fervent Christians.

We nourish and build up our real "you" by reading and meditating in the Scriptures each day.

We nourish and build up our real "you" by praying to God for the wisdom and strength to keep the commandments given to us by Christ and His Apostles.

To be continued.