WORK HARD CHEERFULLY

Col. 3:23-24 Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. NLT

These verses have been the bedrock of my walk with Christ. The Lord laid these verses on my heart shortly after I began walking seriously with Him. I believe that every believer must put forth the best effort he can muster in the things he does in life. All of life is a witness for Christ and if we are slothful in what we do, it is a reflection on Christ. We dare not give the world just cause to reject Christ because we fail to honor Him in what we do.

It is easier to work hard when we approach our work cheerfully. How can we cheerfully do mundane work? We believe in our hearts that what we do we do it for the Lord. Our work and living is to honor and please our Lord. We do them cheerfully because we understand how loved and blessed we really are by the Lord. We are cheerful because we appreciate our lives and blessings from God. We are cheerful because we know that soon this life will be past and only what is done for Christ will last and matter. We are cheerful because we know that all of our life is an offering unto the Lord and He loves a cheerful giver.

If you are struggling with your attitude, remember these things. Remember that the Lord has an inheritance for you that is far more valuable and precious than anything your heart or mind can imagine, and He is waiting to give it to you. Remember always that it is Christ you are serving and not man. Remember, and go out and live your life to the fullest in Christ, at work, home and play.

REPRESENTATIVE OF CHRIST

 

REPRESENTATIVE OF CHRIST

Col. 3:17 And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father. NLT

Whether we like it or not, everything we say and do represents Christ in some way. We either present Christ to others in a positive light or a negative light. What we do and say matters a great deal. We need to take an honest look at how we portray Christ to the world.

I believe one of the reasons why so many are turned off by Christ is that they don’t see much of Christ in those who profess to believe in Him. Being in Christ is not reserved for our Sunday meetings. We represent Christ every day all day long. It is imperative for Jesus’ sake for the body of Christ to take more care about how they live in the world. People who need the Lord need a people who live well for the Lord in every area of their lives.

People notice how we live. They listen to what we say and if there is a discrepancy between the two, they are quick to judge us and turn off our message. People will jump at the chance to justify themselves and their unbelief. It matters a great deal how we come across to others as children of God.

Our hearts should be so enamored by Christ that they are filled with thanksgiving and praise to God, our Father, for His wondrous plan of salvation and the workings of His grace in us. Gratitude is an attitude that is befitting for the child of God. It is what we are if we are truly living in Christ.

IT'S UP TO YOU

 

IT’S UP TO YOU

Col. 3:16 Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. NLT

It is up to you whether or not God’s Word will dwell in your heart. In order for you to know the richness of God’s Word, you must let it in. You must spend time in it, meditating on it, feasting on it. God’s Word makes one wise.

He who knows well the Word can use it to teach and give counsel to others. It is an essential part of the faith walk. We all need wisdom from the Word. We need others to help us understand truth better and others need us to help them. Together, we are made strong it the faith.

When the Word of God captures and drives the soul, there is much joy in the heart. The heart swells up in praise and thanksgiving. The promises of God move the soul in worship. A joyful heart is a thankful heart.

We deprive our souls of the best of what God has to give us when we starve ourselves of His Word. There can be no songs of praise and thanksgiving in the heart if the Word is not in the heart. The words of Christ give life and if applied to life give abundant life. If you find yourself not singing God’s praises and giving Him thanks from the heart, you need to make His Word an essential part of your daily life.

CHRIST'S WORD IN YOU

 

CHRIST’S WORD IN YOU

Col. 3:16 Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. NLT

You don't have to do it, you know. You don't have to let the words of Christ live in your heart. You can act like a fool and ignore what the Lord has to say. You don't have to live the way Christ instructs us to live. You don't have to teach the ways of Christ. There are a ton of other things out there you can offer people rather than the truth. Man is full of ideas as to how we should live and deal with life's issues. No, you don't have to let the words of Christ live in your heart and influence your thinking.

However, you will find out that only the words of Christ are worth the investment of life. They are rich because only Jesus can change the heart of man. Only the words of Jesus can make a man wise. Only the ways of Jesus work in making life worth the living.

Don't waste your time and energy chasing after the ways of the world. Instead, lift up your voice and praise the Lord. Sing back to Him His Word. Sing songs that build you up and draw you to Him. Sing songs of praise with a thankful heart. Be discerning in the songs you sing. Not all songs are worthy to be sung. Sing those songs which build you up and edify your soul. Worship the Lord today with a thankful heart for He is THE way, truth and life and He has chosen to live in YOU.

LOVING GRACE

 

LOVING GRACE

Col. 3:12-14 Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. NLT

Hear what the Word is saying to us today. Listen and understand it. God chose you in Christ because He loves you and He chose you to be holy. Do you know for a fact today that God loves you? How do you know it? What difference does it make for you to know it? Are you a holy person? What is there about you that verifies that it is true what you think about yourself?

Holiness is a life lived apart from sin, a life that strives to submit to and obey the standards of God as revealed in His Word. Some of the characteristics of holy living are found in today's verses. Take another look at them. Do they describe who you are? You may not have it altogether, but you should see some of them in you. How you treat others is a good barometer on how you are doing. If you are growing into a holy person, you will have a compassionate heart that treats people with kindness and love. Your first response to others will be that of love. You will not let anything they do or say keep you from loving them.

If you find it hard to love someone, you will flee to the Lord and ask Him to love them through you. He will change your heart into a heart of love if you will let Him. You cannot consistently pray for the good of someone without the Lord giving you a heart of love for them. You cannot become whom the Lord wants you to be, and created you to be in Him, until you do.

Love is what binds us together and love can only be found at the foot of the cross. Jesus takes away all that keeps us from loving each other and binds us together in perfect harmony. When we don't get along it's because we haven't lingered at Calvary long enough for it to impact our souls.

God commands us to be a holy people characterized by loving grace towards others. He treated us that way and demands that we pass it on to others.

OUR NEW NATURE

 

OUR NEW NATURE

Col. 3:9-10 Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. NLT

What have you taken off? What difference has the Gospel you profess to believe in made in your life? What don't you do that you did before? What do you do now that you didn’t do before? What attitudes do you have now that you didn't have before about life and people? The reality is that if nothing noticeable has changed in you, then what you believe with your head is not what you believe in your heart. When Jesus is in us, we no longer can live in sin or maintain sinful attitudes. He won't let us. His Spirit convicts us of sin and moves us to confess sin and change.

In the place of our old way of life, Jesus gives us a brand-new life. It is a life built on the foundation of godliness. It is a life that never quits becoming more like God in character. It is a life that is never satisfied with what is, but is aware of the need for constant growth and change. When Jesus lives within us, we have a constant hunger and thirst for more of His life. We want who He is to be who we are.

Let the Lord renew your heart today by striving to learn more and more about Him in all His glory and honor as God within you. The old you has to go and the new you has to be your new norm.

It may take a while, in fact, the transformation into the new you will not be done until you get to heaven, but if you are indeed a child of God, progress will be seen in you and you will feel it.

PUT TO DEATH

 

PUT TO DEATH

Col. 3:5-6 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. NLT

Putting to death is to no longer let sinful things be a part of who you are. It is no longer living under the influence of sinful desires. It is refusing to participate in sinful things or practices. It is walking away from sinful temptations. It is squelching sinful desires. It is changing the course of our natural way to live and instead strive to live to honor and please God.

There are many things that the world deems to be good. There are many things that appeal to us and cause us to want them. We need to keep our desires under control. When what the world offers us become the driving force in our lives, it's greed. It causes us to want the world's offerings more than we do a healthy relationship with God. It is sin and we must be concerned about this. If we are not careful, we will develop greater priorities in life than God. We will be led away from God and into sin.

Paul warns us that those who do not put away from them their sinful desires and greed will face God's wrath. God will not fight for our allegiance; He lets us choose whether or not we will serve Him and love Him more than anyone, or anything, else in life. You cannot love the Lord and hang onto worldly desires or participate in worldly activities. You cannot love Him and desire something else more than Him. God commands all of our heart’s loyalties. We cannot live in Christ with earthly attachments.

Do not be lulled to sleep thinking God will not exercise wrath against those who live ungodly lives. He is holy and will NEVER let that which is ungodly near Him. The hammer will come down on everyone who lives in sin instead of Christ’s righteousness.