Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Colossians 3:15
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 |
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
For further study - Colossians 3:15-25
As we approach our extended reading for today reflect with me on our devotional in Colossians the last time we were in the book, which was the first fifteen verses of Colossians 3 .
Verses 2, 3 and 4 exhort us to set our focus and affections on the heavens where Jesus awaits the command from His Father to call the body of Christ, the Church, up to be with Him. Verse 4 says we will appear at that time with Him in the heavenlies. What a glorious hope that is for each of us as believers.
Now to our reading for today, in verse 16 we see Paul exhorts us to "let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly". That means to first read God's Word and then meditate upon what we have read. Finally we internalize the Word of God, as we apply every bit of it to our daily lifestyle.
In verses 15-22 Paul tells us what will happen when the Word does dwell in us richly. Our music will be God-honoring music. Music, by the way, is not for evangelism. In the 500 references to music in the Bible they all deal with worshiping the Lord and not for evangelizing lost people. Therefore, we don't need to mimic the world's music.
If the Word fills us, we will use psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to teach each other and admonish each other in our worship of the Lord. What we do, we do in the name of the Lord, verse 17.
Wives will submit to husbands, verse 18. Husbands will love their wives and be not bitter to them, verse 19. Children will obey parents because it pleases the Lord, verse 20. Fathers will raise their children but won't provoke them to anger, verse 21. Servants will obey masters, verse 22. Again Paul tells us that whatever we do, do it "heartily as unto the Lord and not to men," verse 23.
What we have just thought through is the lifestyle of the person that has the Word of God dwelling in them richly. Verse 24 refers us to the time of reward when the Lord will give us a special reward at the "Judgment Seat of Christ". That "reward" He will give us is for living the Word-rich life on earth, before the Judgment Seat and before we appear in His presence.
He tells us of our reward and at the same time tells us how to live so that we will indeed receive that reward. The provision He gives is His Word, which we must allow to dwell in us, richly. Thank you Lord for your Word.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for your Word, help me to let it dwell in me richly.
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Colossians 3:1
Tuesday, May 07, 2024 |
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
For further study - Colossians 3:1-15
In our devotional passage for today, we are told to "put off" some items and "put on" others. This exhortation is because we have "risen with Christ", Colossians 3:1. Paul tells the Colossians that when they, and thus when we put off the "old man" we also put off his "deeds" - deeds like anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communications in addition to fornication, inordinate affection, and idolatry.
These are the deeds of the "old man", which we once were, but in Christ we are told we are the "new man" and therefore have items to "put on". We are to put on holiness, mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, and above all, put on love.
I know you have already read in your devotional reading for today all that I have just mentioned. However, it is good to rehearse what we "put off" and "put on" as the followers of Christ. The passage also reveals to us that the "peace of God" is to rule in our hearts and we are to be thankful.
You know, thankfulness is foreign to most of us. Have you noticed how people seem to forget to say "thank you" when you serve them? It is as if we are supposed to serve and those that we serve take it for granted.
Paul exhorts us to serve others anyway. Each day we spend time in God's word we see the instructions there for us to live by in the life He has for us to live today.
I think it is great to know exactly how the Lord wants us to live. Just this reminder, we do not live this way to get saved but because we are saved. The truth is that we could not live this way unless we were saved and empowered by Him to do so.
Before I conclude the devotional for today, a "prophetic prospective" on the passage is needed. Notice the first four verses of our extended reading. The "if" in verse 1 is a conditional "if" and thus could read "since we have been risen with Christ" at salvation then we should seek those things above, in the heavenlies.
In fact, verse 2 says to set our affection, or our focus, our ambitions on these things above. We do this so that when Christ shall appear in His glory we also shall appear with Him in glory.
A close study of current events in light of Bible prophecy will help us to focus on His return and how close it might be. We need to daily study the prophetic word of God to better understand the times in which we are living. This will help us to better seek those things above and set our affections on the future with Him in the heavens.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, help me to look with great anticipation for Your soon return and our future existence, with You, throughout eternity, in heaven.
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