Colossians 3:17

December 2, 2011

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Paul is not telling us anything we don’t already know right here, he is simply reminding us that all we do is for the Lord.  Sometimes we can forget amongst the mundane tasks we do day to day that it is for the Lord, not to get a thank you from anyone but to show God’s love through our service to others.  All we do should be an act of giving back to God and more wholly submitting our lives to Him.  it is like our lives are a service of gratitude for the sacrifice that was made on the cross for our sins that we might have eternal life and dwell with our heavenly Father in Heaven. 

Colossians 3:16

December 1, 2011

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

I feel like this goes back to what Pastor Don was teaching about the heart of David and the fact that he realized there was absolutely nothing he could do as an individual to fight Goliath.  We need to move aside and let the words of Christ flow freely through us.  We are essentially worthless for the kingdom of heaven if we cannot move aside and empty ourselves of us and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  In order to be effective in what we do, we have to have our whole lives centered upon Christ.  The wholly submitted life can be used in unfathomable ways by God.  In all walks of our lives we need to allow the words of Christ just flow through us and He will give us the words to teach, comfort, and counsel.

In applying this I will pray that the Lord will continue to weed out areas in my life that are hindering me from being used to my full potential.

Colossians 3:15

November 30, 2011

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

I’ve watched division on an issue split a church almost right down the middle.  I don’t necessarily know every little detail, but I do know that it was unnecessary in the way it happened.  In the process there was no unity or peace.  Both sides wanted essentially the same thing; to gain souls for the kingdom of heaven.  Unfortunately one party had a different way of doing things and taught some pretty “unique” doctrine.  For me it was an example of what the body of Christ isn’t.  There isn’t much peace with the Body within the world either; IMAGINE THAT, we humans managed to mess something else up.  There are hundreds of different denominations and so many different types of churches to choose from it’s almost easier to pick out wedding details.  Above all though there should be no bickering or fighting within the Body, “…’Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.’” Matthew 12:25.  Without peace and unity within a congregation we make the devil’s job of deceit and division ridiculously easy. 

In applying this I will pray for wisdom and discernment in picking my battles, especially with the ones that arise within the body.

Colossians 3:14

November 29, 2011

“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

Love is one thing that every human being wants, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from everybody just wants to feel loved.  People strive for it, spend their whole lives looking for that acceptance and feeling of want.  Love is essentially super glue that bonds all things together.  If a congregation has love for one another and is genuinely concerned about another brother or sister’s wellbeing an individual would be able to fellowship amongst those in the body and experience this love firsthand.  Love is an action, I know it sounds pretty clique but it is a way of life, not just an action.  We should live out our lives loving all that we might most appropriately represent Christ and the Church. 

In applying this I will look for more opportunities to commit acts of kindness and pray for a deeper love that I might be a better example of the love that Jesus shows us.

Colossians 3:13

November 28, 2011

“bearing with one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.”

As Christians we are supposed to settle all matters among ourselves without making it public as there is always possibility of marring someone’s reputation.  We are human and there will be issues that arise amongst a body of believers, and it seems like Paul addresses that in just about every one of his’ epistles.  Instead of following through and seeking official judgment on a wrongdoing from a court or other form of resolving an issue, we are instructed to simply just forgive those just as Christ did with us.  I’m sure the punishment that Christ took for us is incomparable to the minute issue that someone flippantly dissed your coffee making skills.  Unfortunately for some unknown reason, this is probably the one of the harder things to do for humans.  Natural inclination when wronged is for us to immediately take whatever actions we deem necessary to make the perpetrator pay.  Instead we need to look to the cross and remember what Jesus did for us so that we might have the freedom to do it for another. 

Acts 1:8

November 18, 2011

“But you shall receive power when the Hole Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This is such a big ideal that seems to always be forgotten.  In the church today there is not a big emphasis put on missions, however; when there is emphasis it seems as though it is put on foreign missions and every one forgets the missions’ field that is right outside the doors of the church.  Jesus even says to the apostles to start where they are in preaching the gospel and work their way out amongst the world.  Why should the modern church be any different?  I believe that a bigger priority should be put on reaching the lost that are right outside your front door.  I do believe people are called to full time foreign missions’, but I just don’t see the importance put on domestic mission that it deserves…everyone should hear the good news.

In applying this I will never forget that anywhere I go is my missions’ field and someone doesn’t have to be going to a foreign country to make an impact.

Acts 1:7

November 17, 2011

“And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.’”

Unfortunately this is often the answer we hear from our Heavenly Father when we grow impatient with a matter or situation in our life.  It is not for us to know all the Father has in store for us; we are just called to be faithful; if we knew everything that would transpire in our lifetime it wouldn’t take faith to walk out a Christian life.  It would just be the most boring life if we knew exactly everything that would transpire every single day.  Not to sound morbid, but there would be absolutely no reason to live.  All we would be is glorified robots.  We are called to walk by faith and not by sight; it isn’t necessarily beneficial to know all the Lord has in store all the time.

In applying this I will not always try to live my life in the future and just charge the place I am in life right now.