Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3 [NASB]
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

This passage instructs Christians to ‘put on’ the new virtues fitting their position in Christ. We must not only cease to do the evil things we once did, but “we must learn to do well; not only not to hurt any, but to do what good we can to all”(Matthew Henry).

12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

Because God has chosen us, He has made us holy in His sight. We are holy- ‘set apart’ for the Lord and for His work and have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. With this in view, we are therefore beloved of God. What was true of God’s chosen people, Israel, can now be said of the believers in Colossae, and all those who are chosen of God. Paul therefore exhorts the believers to put on the following virtues:

Compassion – love for and mercy towards one another. Kindness – “Spirit imparted goodness of heart” (William Hendriksen). Humility – lowliness, having a correct estimate of oneself. Gentleness – a meekness of spirit, “the submissiveness under provocation, the willingness rather to suffer injury than to inflict it” (William Hendriksen). Patience – long-suffering in the face of adversity.

Luke 6 [NASB]
35"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
36"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Galations 5 [NASB]
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Matthew 11 [NASB]
29"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.

All of these virtues are characteristics of God which He displays to us in the work and person of Christ.

Romans 13 [NASB]
14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ...

If He has dealt with us in this way, so should we deal with those around us. Paul continues with further instructions:

13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

We need to (in the exercise of these virtues) bear with the short-comings of those around us, remembering that they are called to bear with our deficiencies. As not yet perfected and glorified there are many areas we fall short in, and so we need to be ready and willing to endure one another. When a brother sins against us we need to be ready to forgive them. This command of Paul is strikingly similar to the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6 [NASB]
12'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors...
14"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15"But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

We are called to forgive, because the Lord has already forgiven us our sins which are far weightier than any grievances we may have between ourselves. For more on this see the parable of the ungrateful slave of Matthew 18:21-35.

14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Jesus taught love for one another as the fulfilment of the second table of the Law. The love for our fellow believers which Paul speaks of here is the perfect bond of unity. Bruce interprets this as “the grace that binds all these other graces together”. Henriksen comments “love then is the bond of perfection in the sense that it is that which unites believers, causing them to move forward toward the goal of perfection”.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Knowing who Christ is and what He has accomplished for us, we must therefore let His peace rule - govern or direct us. As Matthew Henry points out “We are called to this peace, to peace with God as our privilege and peace with our brethren as our duty”. There is both a peace which we have before our Redeemer and Judge, and also a peace which governs our relationships with one another. If Christ’s peace rules our hearts, we will be enabled to bear with one another and forgive one another, because we are resting in the knowledge of Christ’s forgiveness for our sins. John Wesley points out that the cause and effect of this passage could also be reversed: “And then the peace of God shall rule in your hearts -Shall sway every temper, affection, thought, as the reward (so the Greek word implies) of your preceding love and obedience”. Either way we can apply this test to great advantage: “let the individual, therefore, constantly ask himself, “Will I have peace within if I do this or do that?” Let him be sure to be at peace with God, for only then can he expect to live in true harmony with his brothers” (William Hendriksen). A body made up of many members must be at peace with itself, must exhibit spiritual oneness.

Paul adds that we are to be thankful. This theme runs through the epistle (1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:15, 16, 17; 4:2). As we are thankful for what Christ has achieved we are enabled and empowered to do these things Paul is calling us to.

16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The peace of Christ can only rule in our hearts when the word of Christ is richly dwelling within us. This word should richly dwell - take residence, “be always ready and at hand to us in everything, and have its due influence and use” (Matthew Henry), bear much fruit. It should be read, believed, dwelt upon, it should be hidden in the hearts of the believers. For an example of right appreciation of the word see Psalm 119. As a result of this indwelling of the word we can with all wisdom teach and admonish one another. To admonish is to warn, stimulate, and encourage. We must do this in accordance with the rights and duties of our particular office, but note that all Christians are called to teach and admonish in some aspect even if they are not apostles as Paul was or teachers. One of the means of this teaching and admonishing in wisdom is the singing of God-glorifying songs. Let us not look down on this practice as less spiritual or necessary than other more “noble” pursuits. Spiritual songs “fix the interest upon the indwelling word of Christ and carry the attention away from the worldly cacophony” (William Hendriksen).

17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Paul gives us an overarching command to close this section. ‘In the name of’ refers to “in harmony with His revealed will, in subjection to His authority, in dependence on His power” (William Hendriksen). As Hendriksen gave a test for a decision based on the peace of Christ in verse 15, so F.F. Bruce gives the following: “When faced with a situation, the believer may well ask “Can I do this ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’ whose reputation is at stake in the conduct of His known followers? Can I thank God the Father through Him for the opportunity of doing this thing?”” We can offer our thanks to God through Him because Christ has atoned for our sins, and now lives as our intermediary. Paul ends this section by pointing us back to the one and only, all-sufficient Saviour, Christ Jesus.


These are but a few short thoughts on a huge section of Scripture, I pray that they may spur you on to put these verses into practice. God bless, Taliah.

Guest Post: Leave Behind a Legacy of Prayer

Earlier this week I was very challenged when I read the following entry on prayer written by my dear sister in Christ, Asia. I am excited to share it with you for this week's new entry and I hope you will also be challenged to spend more time in prayer.

I remember when I was in high school, I was challenged to get up early in the morning to pray. I decided that around 5:30am, I would get up and pray to God. I had my prayer journal of requests from other people and I would start praying for them. Before I knew it, I saw prayers being answered and I loved spending time with God. There was a delight that grew in me to spend time with God in prayer and reading the bible. I loved that I could communicate with a God I was once separated from because of my sin.

This past week in a small group, everyone was asked, "What do you think you will be remembered by once you're gone?" I thought once I am gone, I want to be remember as a "praying woman of God." I love to pray for others, there is nothing like being before the Father and praying. I do pray that if I ever have a family, they will see my heart for prayer and not only them but others who know me.

I would encourage everyone to spend more time with God in prayer. Getting to know Him is the most amazing thing. Our time in prayer is where we can be honest, offer praise, confess, interceed, offer supplication, and pray for the world around us and pray for those close to us.

Bible Verses:


Psalm 73:28 (New King James Version)


28 But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.


Hebrews 10:22 (New King James Version)

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.


 Job 8:5-6 (New King James Version)

5 If you would earnestly seek God
And make your supplication to the Almighty
6 If you were pure and upright,
Surely now He would awake for you,
And prosper your rightful dwelling place.


Quote:


Intercessory prayer is the sweetest prayer God ever hears.... The more your prayer is like Christ's, the sweeter it will be.... Intercessory prayer exceedingly prevails. What wonders it has wrought! It has stopped plagues,...healed diseases,...raised the dead.... There is nothing that intercessory prayer cannot do. Believer, you have a mighty engine in your hand - use it well, use it constantly, use it now with faith, and you shall surely prevail.... Never give up anyone for spiritually dead until they are dead naturally...


Charles Haddon Spurgeon


Asia shares about her life and vibrant heart for God at A Lady in the Making.

Relationships – A Central Focus in the Bible

Last Sunday I was once again impressed by the impact of practicing biblical relationships. I heard that people at church had been praying for me the previous week, and quite a few of them (both women and men!) approached me with sincere inquiries. They were truly concerned, and someone even got me a chair cushion (for my back). We have not been at that church for long, so I was really surprised – and uplifted. It seems that this congregation is committed to prayer and to putting God's word into action. What a huge, spiritual encouragement!

My thoughts then moved to actual bible passages. Many of us have read them over and over, but I am hoping that the following collection from the New Testament will once again encourage you the same way it did me while collecting them. Of course this list is in no way exhaustive, but if we read it slowly and with contemplation, it should be enough to spurn us on to handle ALL of our relationships (not just a selected few) the way our Lord intended. The rewards are many, and the way it makes people FEEL is priceless...

Love one another (John 13:35 - this command comes 16 times)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honour one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Be like-minded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13)
Stir up one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10)
Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Confess our faults to one another (James 5:16)

And now for the final wrap-up:
This is God’s commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another (1 John 3:23). Only two things to do - not 20, or 200.

Therefore, whatever we do, let us do ALL to the glory of God! (1 Corinthians 10:31)

I pray you will have a blessed week,
Margaret