Colossians 3
Rules for Holy Living
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Rules for Christian Households
18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
Footnotes:
[a] Colossians 3:4 Some manuscripts our
[b] Colossians 3:6 Some early manuscripts coming on those who are disobedient
5 comments:
Col 3
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
I try to make this my mantra at work, trying as hard as I can to work for the Lord, seek his approval, and make Him proud. But too often I fail and make a disconnect somewhere along the line. My failures lie in staying as focused on my work as God wants me to be. I realize that the answer is to be focused on God, and I must admit that in the last few weeks, with help from you guys, I have focused on God and work (staying on task) has come SO MUCH easier. A friend of mine introduced me to his pastor a while back, and the pastor convinced me that God has me in graduate school for a reason. I felt for a long time that I wasn't doing God's work, that I was piddling away all the talent that God has given me on something that seems so distant from His goals, but he convinced me that even in the sciences, we truly can do God's work.
Father, I ask that You give me the maturity and faith to continue down the path that You have laid before me, on the clear and foggy days, when I can't see where You are taking my family and I. Give me the focus and strength to do Your work, here in my place of study. I thank you for these men, for timmcd6's recent engagement, ER's new ministry, helping jms find You, the impending little ones You are sending us over the next 6 weeks. You are truly the great and loving, compassionate God. In Your Son's amazing name,
Amen
crb
I meant "jws"-- it's still early.
sorry-
crb
Col 3
Yowza (I made that up)!!!! Another intense Chapter if you ask me. I had a little burning feeling after reading
5So 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. 6God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things.
I have a real tough time with this. I am a gadget guy, I like toys like video cameras, digital cameras, projectors for the home theater, etc, etc. to infinity. Oh I forgot about fly fishing gear and tools, power tools are cool.
Contentment is a real struggle for me.
I also enjoyed the part on love and getting along. Key for sure.
Interacting with my wife and kids can be tough to, especially being in the heat of the moment. I do however remember Christ in the temple and being particularlly upset over the things going on in His Fathers house. I certainly am not comparing the tiny things that make me fume to that which caused the pain in nChrist's heart, but you get my point I hope. ANyway, in Topgun we read a pretty good book called "your work matters to God" by Sherman and Hendricks. A little redundant at times, but they get the point across.
Hope everyone is doing well today and that you all are enjoying this as much as I am.
IN Christ,
cas
I am late as usual on these chapters, but I can't think of a more relevant text for my life right now...so much practical guidance coupled with the theological reminders of Christ's victory (sitting at the right hand of God the Father, the coming glory, the removal of the separation between Jews and Greeks, etc.).
The challenges for me in living out these verses begins with:
*setting my mind on the things above
*allowing God to continually renew me in the inner man
*forgiving others in the way the Lord forgave me
*not embittering my children
*working for Christ rather than mere men
I guess I should have simply said that I struggle in every area here. Usually selfishness is the driving force for struggle. On a positive note, I do see God still working and refining my heart and mind via circumstances and His word. Praise Him.
Men, thanks again for your prayers and encouragement to step forward into the Word each day. I pray that we all experience the New Life Christ came to infuse into our lives/families.
In the name of Christ,
er
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