Colossians 3:12-17

June 8, 2015

Colossians 3:12-17

The gem mine is still open! Every verse in today’s passage is rich in wisdom and help for ordering our lives as fully-devoted followers of Jesus. This first verse shows us how grace leads to victory. Instead of trying very hard to discipline ourselves to not do something we know is sinful, our focus is on the virtues of the holy people God chose us to be: “tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12). The more we keep our eyes on Jesus and focus our attention on these virtues, including above all, clothing ourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony (Colossians 3:14), the more the sinful temptations will drop by the wayside.

A byproduct of this lifestyle is peace. Jesus promised us his peace: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). In verse 15, Paul reminds us that God intends for us to live with the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts.

The embracing of Paul’s encouragement in verse 16 is sorely needed in our churches today. When I survey the Christian landscape, the biggest distinction between churches that are flourishing for the cause of Christ and those that are not, is the degree to which Paul’s teaching in verse 16 is lived out: “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” When we allow Jesus to fill our lives, our cup overflows into the lives of others and Christ is glorified and the Kingdom of God flourishes.

One more gem. You are an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), therefore, “whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.