We can sift our words and actions through this

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 3-4; Psalm 14

TO CHEW ON: "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:17

In Colossians 3:1-16 Paul gives his readers back in Colosse and us now, a list of specifics—ways to act Christianly:
- control your thoughts (Colossians 3:1-4).
- stop responding to sinful urges (Colossians 3:5-6).
- clean up your speech (Colossians 3:8,9).
- become blind to race, adherence to religious practices like circumcision, and social status among Christian brothers and sisters (Colossians 3:10,11).
- adopt the right attitude toward fellow believers being quick to forgive, and governed by love (Colossians 3:12-14).
- cultivate peace and gratitude in your own heart (Colossians 3:14,15).
- spend so much time in the word that it flows from your lives (Colossians 3:16).

In verse 17, it's as if Paul is saying, 'If I've forgotten anything'—"And whatever you do in word or deed"—it's included in this command:  "... do all in the name of the Lord Jesus..."

• Doing something in someone's name is to act as their representative or stand-in. In a way, this verse is another way of phrasing the popular saying, What Would Jesus Do?

• Acting in someone's name has overtones of authority. A policeman who levies fines and makes arrests doesn't do this in his own name but in the name of the government that employs him. In Acts we see an interesting example of two parties using the authority of Jesus name to exorcise evil spirits (Acts 19:11-17).

• There is also an ambassador-type relationship implied. As people who call ourselves Christians (Christ-ones) and in this way identify with Jesus, we are ambassadors of the kingdom He represents and is establishing—the kingdom of heaven.

What an awesome privilege—to live ("whatever you do in word or deed") in the name of the Lord Jesus. At the same time it's sobering. This verse becomes a kind of screen through which we can sift all our words and actions, asking: Is this thing I am planning to say, write or act on, something I can do in the name of Jesus?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please remind me of these words and how I am to live in Your name as I go through the activities of this day. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 14

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The preeminent Christ

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 1-2; Psalm 13

TO CHEW ON: "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence." Colossians 1:18

Don't our hearts just thrill to read Paul's deep, grand descriptions of Jesus in Colossians? Don't our imaginations get a workout as we try to understand His roles as creator, reconciler, head of the church, and more? I am so thankful for Paul who, early in the church age, not only grasped the theological implications of who Jesus was and did, but wrote these things down.

A sidebar article in my Bible is a compilation of the many ways that Paul describes Jesus as THE BEST in Colossians.

HE IS PREEMINENT:

In universal government
- the visible image of God - Colossians 1:15
- The agent of creation - Colossians 1:16
- The sustainer - Colossians 1:17
- The head of the church - Colossians 1:18

In reconciliation
- Reconciles us through His death - Colossians 1:21-22
- Lives in us as our hope of glory - Colossians 1:27

In wisdom and knowledge
- The source of all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge - Colossians 2:2-3
- Worldly philosophy does not conform to Him - Colossians 2:8

In religious observance
- We are alive in Him - Colossians 2:11-13
- No need for legalism and ritualism - Colossians 2:16-23


In Christian living
- The source of our new life is in Him - Colossians 3:1,3,4
- In Him we die to the power of sin - Colossians 3:3-5

("The Preeminent Christ" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1672.)

What a treasure we have in Jesus! He deserves all our adoration, worship and praise.

 Jesus the Very Thought of Thee




PRAYER: Dear Jesus, the thought that You, in whom are all the grand things above, would come to earth and die for me is amazing and wonderful. I think and praise You for the amazing God and Saviour You are. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 13

The Bible Project VIDEO: Colossians (Read Scripture Series)

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Speech seasoned with salt

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 4:2-18

TO CHEW ON: "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Colossians 4:6

When Paul told his readers that their speech was to be "seasoned with salt" I don't think he was instructing them to vent rage or sprinkle their conversation with coarse or racy words. So what does it mean to season one's speech with salt (metaphorically, of course)?

We know salt has two main uses:

• Seasoning: As a seasoning agent, just a little is usually enough. Salt enhances other flavours, it doesn't seek to be the star of the food. Too much salt in a dish and we can't eat it.

• Preservative: When we don't have the means to can or freeze, meat or fish is preserved with salt. Apparently salt doesn't burn either.

Salt in the Bible:

• Salt was part of the OT sacrifices and symbolic of Yahweh's covenant with Israel: "And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt."

What did this salt symbolize? Different commenters speak of it in slightly different ways:

• Reformation Study Bible: "Probably because it is indestructible by fire, salt symbolizes the enduring covenant between God and Israel" (accessed through Study Tools on biblegateway.com).

• Asbury Bible Commentary: "Salt of the covenant: emphasizes the binding character of God's covenant with His people" (accessed through Study Tools on biblegateway.com).

• Jesus referred to that salty sacrifice and told the disciples they needed salt in themselves:  “'For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another'” Mark 9:49,50.

• And here Paul tells his readers to season their speech with salt - Colossians 4:6

Matthew Henry's commentary ties these passages together.

"Among the ancients salt was a symbol of friendship. The salt for the sacrifice was not brought by the offerers, but was provided at the public charge, as the wood was, Ezra 7:20-22. And there was a chamber in the court of the temple called the chamber of salt, in which they laid it up. Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? God would hereby intimate to them that their sacrifices in themselves were unsavoury.

"The saints, who are living sacrifices to God, must have salt in themselves, for every sacrifice must be salted with salt (Mark 9:49, 50), and our speech must be always with grace (Col. 4:6), so must all our religious performances be seasoned with that salt. Christianity is the salt of the earth" - Matthew Henry's Commentary (accessed through Study Tools on biblegateway.com).

Applying this salt metaphor to speech, we might say that for the Christ follower, speech seasoned with the salt:

• Reflects the possibility of a relationship with God (covenant).

• Includes the fact that we are His forever (the binding character of that relationship).

• Communicates that this relationship preserves from judgment (preservative).

• Is seasoning—just a bit is enough; it doesn't need to overpower or dominate all we say. But neither should we leave it out.

PRAYER: Dear Father, Help me to learn how to season my speech with the salt of the above, and deliver what I say with grace. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

How's my living?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 3:12-4:1

TO CHEW ON: "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."  Colossians 3:17

Perhaps at some time you've driven behind a commercial vehicle on which was posted the decal "How's my driving?" Under the question was a phone number or website—the number or site you, as an observer, could contact if you saw the person driving badly.

Why would someone have such a message on their vehicle? I'm sure it's not the idea of the driver, but of the company that he and his vehicle represent.* That employee represents his company in the way he drives, loads and unloads his truck, even behaves at truck stops. On the job, he lives in the name of the company that employs him.

That, says Paul, is what's involved in being a disciple of Jesus. We "...do all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." We realize that everything we say and do represents Him. In this, though, we are never off the job, never out of uniform.

The way we handle good times or stressful situations, whether we act with kindness or rudeness,  how we behave in exaltation or tragedy—all are done as representatives of Jesus. We act in His name while in traffic, in line at the bank, when we see someone in trouble, and when we're left with a sinkful of dishes… I wonder what would happen if somewhere on us was posted "How's my living?" with a heavenly number to call with complaints. Would heaven be flooded with calls?

This outlook reminds me of another verse that such a life implies:

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" - Galatians 2:20.

PRAYER:  Dear Jesus, help me to internalize the fact that everything I do reflects on You. Help me to make choices in my talk and actions that will bring honor to Your name. Amen.


*The Wikipedia article on "How's my driving?" cites that vehicles displaying the decal are involved in 22% fewer accidents and a 52% reduction in accident-related costs.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy ambition

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 2:20-3:11

TO CHEW ON: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." Colossians 3:1


"All initiative is not inspired," says Oswald Chambers. "A man may say to you -- 'Buck up, take your disinclination by the throat, throw it overboard and walk out into the thing!' That is ordinary human initiative. But when the Spirit of God comes in and says, in effect, 'Buck up,' we find that initiative inspired" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, Feb 16 reading.

That's what Paul is telling us to do in Colossians 3:1 - to buck up and start making "those things which are above" a matter of thought and action. In other words, to have holy ambition.

"Holy Ambition" is a topic in my Thompson Chain Bible. Here are some of the passages listed under it - a sampling of "those things which are above" that we are to seek:

• Enter (the Kingdom of Heaven) through the accepted entrance (Luke 13:23-28).

• Be a hard worker in God's Kingdom, sharing God's word with integrity (2 Timothy 2:15).

• Pursue love, the spiritual gifts, and the ability to proclaim God's truth with power (prophecy) (1 Corinthians 14:1).

• Give life our best effort and finish well (collect the prize) (Philippians 3:13; 1 Corinthians 9:24).

It's a list of lofty things for sure. Translating these items from theory into everyday living is the challenge. What does it mean, for example, to enter through the narrow gate? It may mean being the only one in your family who believes and accepts salvation through Jesus. Living to finish well may mean persevering in a job that is sometimes unsatisfying and tedious.

Perhaps one way of applying such principles to life would be to ask ourselves questions, like 'Will this activity help me pursue love? Is it consistent with me being a Kingdom worker? Will it help me finish well?'

To quote Chambers again:

"The initiative of the saint is not towards self-realization, but towards knowing Jesus Christ. The spiritual saint never believes circumstances to be haphazard, or thinks of his life as secular and sacred; he sees everything he is dumped down in as the means of securing the knowledge of Jesus Christ….Whether it be eating or drinking or washing disciples' feet, whatever it is, we have to take the initiative of realizing Jesus Christ in it" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, July 11 reading.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to know the difference between human and holy ambition. May I have the imagination to see Jesus present in every circumstance.Amen

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do our 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru

20 things about Jesus in Colossians

Jesus by the sea - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 2:1-19

TO CHEW ON: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."  Colossians 2:9


"Colossians clearly portrays Jesus as superior to and preeminent over all things," writes Leslyn Musch in her Truth-In-Action Through Colossians commentary of my Bible. She says: "As you read this letter, look for all the things said about Christ" - Leslyn Musch, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1671.

Let's take up her challenge and look for clues about Jesus in Colossians.

1. He has a kingdom. Paul refers to "the Kingdom of the Son of His (the Father's) love" - Colossians 1:13.
2. We are redeemed (bought back) through His blood - Colossians 1:14.
3. We have forgiveness of sins through His blood - Colossians 1:14. 
4. He is the image of the invisible God - Colossians 1:15.
5. He is the firstborn over all creation - Colossians 1:15.
6. He created everything in heaven and earth - Colossians 1:16.
7. He is before all things - Colossians 1:17.
8. In Him all things consist - Colossians 1:17.
9. He is the head of the body—the church - Colossians 1:18.
10. He is called the "firstborn from the dead" giving Him the preeminence - Colossians 1:18.
11. All the fullness dwells in Him - Colossians 1:19.
12. He reconciles all things in heaven and earth to Himself - Colossians 1:20.
13. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily - Colossians 2:9.
14. He is the head of all principalities and powers - Colossians 2:10.
15. He makes believers alive together with Him - Colossians 2:13.
16. He disarmed and triumphed over principalities and powers - Colossians 2:15.
17. He is now sitting at the right hand of God - Colossians 3:1.
18. He will one day appear on earth again - Colossians 3:4.
19. He will reward those who fear Him and serve Him in obedience - Colossians 3:23,24.
20. He is a mystery - Colossians 4:3.

There is much to ponder and wrap one's head around here!  Musch says, "Let faith rise in you as you see the unsurpassed greatness of who Jesus is and all that He has accomplished on our behalf" - source as above.

Let's take that challenge into our day!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, these many aspects of You boggle my mind. Please illumine my mind and heart to begin to understand Your greatness, Your loveliness, and Your preeminence. Amen.

MORE: Fairest Lord Jesus - sung by Ross Parsley

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

The work of God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 1:15-29

TO CHEW ON: "Him (Christ) we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily." Colossians 1:28-29

When the goal is in mind and the focus is clear we may surprise even ourselves with how single-purposed we can be. Hours spent designing those house plans, writing that book, preparing for that talk just melt away as we strive toward the goal we see so clearly.

Yesterday we looked at the part of Colossians 1 where Paul prayed that the Christians in Colosse would know God's will. That's like conceptualizing the goal. Today we can see what can happen when that knowledge is energized not only by our own desire to see it happen, but by the very working of God in us.

Paul's goal is to get the news, that eternal life is available through Jesus, out to "every man." But he doesn't do this in his own strength. He is energized by "His (Jesus') working which works in me mightily" (vs. 29).

This Christ-in-me working accomplishes more than just energizing the spread of the gospel. It has the potential to impact all of life as Jack Hayford explains in a sidebar article in my Bible:

"'In Christ' is the expression Paul most frequently uses to designate the new life potential through the gospel. The Messiah (Christ) being King, the term clearly places the believer in the circle of all that is represented and contained in the King, His salvation conquest, and His personal rule.


The essential truth is that the Savior-King has come, and in Him the rule of God has altered the limits sin has heretofore placed on individuals. People no longer need be ruled by their carnality (flesh) or controlled by evil (the Devil)" - Jack Hayford, "Terminology of the Kingdom," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1673 (emphasis added).

May we all cooperate with "His working which works in me mightily" to flesh  this out into purposeful, victorious living.

PRAYER: Dear God, please give me a fresh picture of Your will for me, my neighbours and my world. Help me to find my place in accomplishing it as You work in me (mightily too, please). Amen.

MORE: Different roles
I'd be the first to admit I'm no evangelist. That's probably why Paul's passion for spreading the Gospel makes me feel guilty. However, I can get excited about other jobs that are part of kingdom work - like being a "waterer." I take inspiration from passages like 1 Corinthians 3:5-9:

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers…"

What do you consider your role in God's work?

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God's will for you and me

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "For this reason we all, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." Colossians 1:9


Perhaps the greatest longing in the heart of every Jesus lover is to do God's will. And yet that will often seems unclear. Is it His will that I study nursing or pharmacy. Marry Jeff or Doug? Buy a house or continue to rent? Move close to the kids, or stay in the community where my friends are?

A little study of "God's will" through the Bible may not answer the detailed specifics of life for us, but it can give us some principles of how to discover and do God's will.

• It starts with a heart decision—at least it did for David - Psalm 40:8. Many years later, Paul still talked of a doing God's will in a wholehearted way - Ephesians 6:6.

• Prayer is involved. The psalmist prayed "Teach me to do Your will..." (Psalm 143:10). Jesus prayed, "'Your kingdom come, Your will be done...'" (Matthew 6:10). In our reading Paul told the Colossians that he prayed they would know God's will (Colossians 1:9).

• Christ is an example of knowing and doing God's will. Jesus often said: "This is the will of God." He said it about Father God not willing that any soul given to Him should be lost and that all who believe in Him should have everlasting life (John 6:39, 40). He talked about how doing God's will was His very food (John 4:34) and proved it when, in Gethsemane, He faced the enormity of what doing God's would mean, still said "'Not what I will but what You will'" - Mark 14:36.

• Doing God's will unfolds spiritual knowledge (John 7:17). It's as if we understand God's will not so much by learning about it intellectually, but by doing it (Romans 12:2).

• However, doing God's will may not make for the easiest, most trouble-free life. Peter spoke about how doing the will of God may involve suffering (1 Peter 3:17; 4:1-2), and James reminds us that God's will means we are not the masters of our fate (James 4:13-15) {as if we ever were in any case!}.

In the end, which follower of Jesus would want to do anything but seek to do the will of the One who gave His life for us, and who promises, in return, to answer our prayers ( 1 John 3:22; 5:14), save us from destruction (1 John 2:17), and gift us with eternal life (John 6:40)?


PRAYER: Dear God, please school me in the ways of Your will. May my appetite to do Your will be a reflection of Jesus' words: "My food is to do the will of Him ... and to finish His work." Amen.


MORE: More on knowing God's will

"At first we want the consciousness of being guided by God, then as we go on we live so much in the consciousness of God that we do not need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing any other will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified God guides us by our ordinary choices, and if we are going to choose what He does not want, He will check, and we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, Stop at once. Never reason it out and say - "I wonder why I shouldn't?" God instructs us in what we choose, that is, He guides our common sense, and we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually saying - "Now, Lord, what is Thy will?" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, June 3 reading (emphasis added).

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Put off...put on

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 3:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." Colossians 3:2

After we have accepted God's gift of salvation (here Paul calls it being "raised with Christ") we don't just float lazily on to heaven. In order to flesh out that new quality of life, there's determination and doing involved on our part.

Paul gives some pretty explicit instruction on that doing in our reading today. Its nature is wrapped in the verbs. To get at all their native goodness, I've looked them up in my favourite online lexicon. So here, via a simple word study are some instructions on how to live a successful Christian life according to Paul.

1. Seek (Colossians 3:1).

[seek = zeteo: To seek in order to find; to seek (in order to find out) by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after.]

What are we to seek? Those things that are above.

2. Set your mind (Colossians 3:2)

[Set your mind = phroneo: to direct one's mind to a thing; to seek, to strive for.]

What are we to set our minds on? The things above, not on things on the earth.

3. Put to death (Colossians 3:5)

[Put to death = nekro 3499: to make dead, put to death, slay, to deprive of power, destroy the strength of]

I can relate especially to "deprive of power." How does one do that physically? One way is to stop feeding the thing.
What things are we to put to death, i.e. stop feeding? Fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness.

4. Put off (Colossians 3:8)

[Put off = apotithemi: To put off, or aside, or away]

What are we to put off? Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying.

5. Put on (Colossians 3:10, 12)

[Put on = enduo: To sink into (clothing), put on, clothe oneself.]

What are we to put on? The "new man" (which is unhindered and uninfluenced by race or position), tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, forgiveness, love.

6. Let the peace of Christ rule (Colossians 3:15)

[rule = brabeuo: to be an umpire, to decide, determine, to direct, control, rule]

Where is Christ's peace to rule or be an umpire? In our hearts. I understand this to mean that we pay attention to the state of the heart. When we are uneasy or not peaceful about something, that is a sign that something may be spiritually wrong.


7. Let the word of Christ dwell (Colossians 3:16)

[Dwell = enoikeo: to dwell in, to dwell in one and influence him (for good).]

What are our hearts and minds to be full of? The word of Christ, living in us, in all wisdom, so we can teach, admonish one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.

Do you notice how much of this starts in the mind? It is our original and basic battleground.


PRAYER: Dear God, these instructions are plain — not hard to understand. But putting them into practice in my life is another thing altogether. Help me to live them today. Amen.

MORE: Canada Day

Today we celebrate Canada and her 148th birthday. There will be festivities in cities and towns around the country. If you are Canadian, however you celebrate, Happy Canada Day to you!

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The battle of 2015

Happy New Year! 

Spiritual Warfare - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 1:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." - Colossians 1:13


Kristine McGuire grew up in a Christian home and gave her heart to Jesus at an early age. However, a combination of things including an interest in horror movies and scary books, a series of life events that frustrated and angered her, and the performance-based legalism of the church she attended, fueled an attraction to the occult.

And so for eight years as an adult she gave herself to ghost hunting and activities as a psychic, medium, and witch, rationalizing that she could be involved in these things as a Christian, even calling herself a Christian ghost hunter.

Her story, told in An Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare, shines a light on one area where many in our society and even some professing Christians are living under the power of darkness, that is, through involvement in the occult. McGuire writes:

"People are hungry for a spiritual connection with God …. Satan counterfeits the power and good gifts of God, twisting them into what we see being done by mediums, psychics, diviners, energy healers, and those who practice forms of magick and spellcraft" - p. 160.

But we don't have to stay in this dark place of fear, deception, and confusion. For as our focus verse reminds us:

He has delivered [rescued, drawn to Himself] us to Himself from the power [authority, right to act, ability, privilege] of darkness [darkened eyesight or blindness, ignorance respecting divine things and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality] and conveyed [transferred, removed and relocated, "… refers to the deportation or transference of captured armies or populations from one country to another" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1671] us into the kingdom [royal power, dominion rule] of the Son of His love [agape love].

Recognizing and getting free from the power of the occult is only one aspect of spiritual warfare. As we enter this year, let's prepare to fight in all areas as captives-who-have-become-warriors of the kingdom of light. McGuire ends her book with this challenge:

"Spiritual warfare:
It is in the prayers we say or forget to say.
It is in the choice to be kind or hurtful.
It is in our work ethic or lack thereof.
It is in the people and relationships in whom we choose to invest or not to invest.
It is in the experiences, mundane or supernatural, we accept or deny.
It is in the causes we take up or reject.
Every day the battle wages.
You are a spiritual warrior.
The time has come. Take up spiritual arms.
And with God's help, make your stand" - Kristine McGuire, An Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare, p. 226.

PRAYER: Dear God, please alert me to areas where I am playing with and living in darkness. Help me to live completely in the Your kingdom of love and light. Amen.

MORE: Feast of the Holy Name

Today the church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name. The liturgy for today begins with this Collect:

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Take charge of thoughts and actions

 TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 3:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17

To what extent are we responsible for our thoughts, emotions and the actions that spring from them? Is there ever a time where we could say we were helpless to curb actions provoked by rage, jealousy, covetousness etc.?

Paul writing to the Colossians would say "No." Using words that indicate we are responsible for the way we react and relate to others, he lays out at least four ways in which we can take charge of our emotions and our actions:

1. We need to put off some things (apekduomai = to strip off from oneself): anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, lying, the old man and his deeds. It sounds so easy, as if one could just peel off, like an outfit of clothes, these habitual ways of feeling and reacting. In reality, it takes time, focus and effort. Like all actions, these "old man" ones start in our minds. So we need to start by tossing the rags of angry and malicious and blasphemous and filthy and lying thoughts into the trash.

2. We need to put on some things (enduo = to clothe or be clothed with, in the sense of sinking into a garment): the "new man" with his attitude of mercy, long-suffering, bearing with others, forgiveness, love.

3. We need to let peace rule in our hearts (brabeus from brabeuo = to act as umpire). This is how I see it working: I perform an action, say I react impatiently while I'm in the lineup at the supermarket. Later, as I reflect on my day, I sense dis-ease. Why this un-peace, I ask myself. Then I remember my impatient reaction and realize I need to come to terms with such impatience. The lack of peace is the umpire that declares something is "foul" and brings me face to face with things I need to deal with and dispose of.

4. We need to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (enoikeo = dwell, inhabit). As we marinate in God's word (read it, memorize it, think about it, apply it, talk about it), we gain wisdom. The evidence of such a word-saturated life is an encouraging attitude that instructs with a wise heart and a worshiping mouth (Colossians 3:17).

It all builds toward the goal of "whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person" (Colossians 3:17 - Amplified).

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to work Your plan in my life today. Make me alert to the things I need to put off, and willing to dress myself in right ways of thinking and acting. Help me to saturate myself with Your word and be sensitive and obedient to the umpire of Your peace. Amen.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

The will of God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "For this reason we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding." Colossians 1:9

Charles Price, the speaker on the TV program Living Truth a while ago preached a series on God's will. In the first message he made the point that we tend to look at God's will for our lives as sort of spiritual GPS (Global Positioning System). He fantasized it going something like: "And so you get up in the morning and (hear), 'Go to the university and study this subject. See that girl over there; marry her. Go and get this job. Live at that address. Live happily ever after. Amen.'"

But it's not like that. Instead, Dr. Price said, "'What is the will of God for my life?' isn't even the best question. It is a valid question. But the first question is what is the will of God? Period. Not what is the will of God for me; what is the will of God for God? What is the big picture of what God is doing in the world of which I, as an individual, can have a part?"

So what is the will of God? Here is a quick look at some Bible verses that mention God's will:

Jesus spelled it out as: "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:39-40).

Jesus prayed that God's will be done on earth (Matthew 6:10). Doing God the Father's will was the obsession of His life (John 4:34). Despite that, He struggled with it at least once (Mark 14:36) but did always subject Himself to the will of "the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30).

The psalmist spoke of God and His Spirit teaching him to do God's will (Psalm 143:10), of the impetus for doing it as coming from within, and obeying it as delightful (Psalm 40:8). Men like David did God's will by serving their generation (Acts 13:36).

For us it involves accepting Jesus' payment for our sins. That sets us free from the influence of "this present evil age"(Galatians 1:3-4). We know what God's will is  through obedience and compliance with it (Romans 12:1-2). Actually doing it gives us a ticket into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21) and makes us part of God's family (Matthew 12:50).

Charles Price summed it up so beautifully:

"So if you want the will of God for your life, it is a lot deeper than a spiritual GPS; it’s a life that is surrendered. We are the objects of His love; therefore we can trust Him because He loves us.... We are the subjects of His lordship and therefore we obey Him. And these two things – obedience and trust – are the two essential ingredients of leading the Christian life" - Charles Price from "Living in the Will of God" message.

PRAYER: Dear God, I pray that I will be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that I may walk worthy of You, fully pleasing You, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Amen.

MORE: "Will of God" sermon series

Pastor Charles Price's series "Living in the Will of God" is available transcribed as pdf documents on the Living Truth website. Go HERE, click on "Living In The Will of God" series, download the zip file which, when opened, contains nine pdf sermon files. They are long, so you might want to save them on your computer for reading later.

If Jesus is really God...

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 2:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Colossians 2:9

There is nothing subtle in the statement Paul makes about Jesus in Colossians 2:9. He says in plain words, He is God.

This probably doesn't sound controversial to us if we're from a Christian heritage, privy as we are to the New Testament as well as the Old, the writings of scholars, theologians and apologists spanning the centuries. But it was controversial to people in the first century who had only the evidence of three years of Jesus' ministry and the word of eye witnesses. And it is a controversial statement to many moderns who lump Jesus in with founders of other religions and think of him as merely one prophet among many.

But, as H.C. Thiessen says in his Lectures in Systematic Theology: 

"The Son is recognized as God. The importance of the doctrine of the deity of Christ can scarcely be overestimated. Jesus Christ does not sustain the same relation to Christianity that other founders of religion sustain to the faiths which they have originated. Buddha (B.C. 563-484), Confucius (551-478), and Mohammed (A.D. 570?-632) are significant primarily for their teaching; but Jesus Christ is significant primarily for His person." p. 138.

There isn't room in one short devotional to list the proofs (with supporting Bible references) that Jesus is God, as theologians like Thiessen have done so ably -- proving that He:
- has the attributes of deity (is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, immutable)
- fulfills the offices of deity (as creator and sustainer of the created world).
- exercises the prerogatives of deity (forgives sins, raises the dead, will execute judgement). etc.

If you're interested in studying this, there are many great internet resources. For a start, check out John Piper's category the "Deity of Christ" (on the Desiring God site) which contains numerous links.

I, for one, am convinced. But what difference does a belief in Christ's deity make? I can think of three responses:

1. I can have confidence that Jesus IS the way to God -- as He says in John 14:6. I can proclaim this without apology, even though such audacious certainty is not politically correct in our society, which encourages tolerance of any and all opinions on how we get to God.

2. The logical response is to give Him my life. This is exactly the plea Paul makes to the Romans. After exclaiming over the excellence of God's plan and way of working in Romans 11:33-36, he goes on in Romans 12:1 to say: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

3. I can have peace, knowing that I have the best. As the verse following today's focus verse says "…you are complete in Him…" (Colossians 2:10).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I acknowledge You as God and Lord of my life. Help me to understand all this means in everyday living. Amen.

MORE: "Fairest Lord Jesus" - Ross Parsley



(From the archives)

If Jesus is really God...

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 2:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Colossians 2:9

There is nothing subtle in the statement Paul makes about Jesus in Colossians 2:9. He says in plain words, He is God.

This probably doesn't sound controversial to us if we're from a Christian heritage, privy as we are to the New Testament as well as the Old, the writings of scholars, theologians and apologists spanning the centuries. But it was controversial to people in the first century who had only the evidence of three years of Jesus' ministry and the word of eye witnesses. And it is a controversial statement to many moderns who lump Jesus in with founders of other religions and think of him as merely one prophet among many.

But, as H.C. Thiessen says in his Lectures in Systematic Theology: 

"The Son is recognized as God. The importance of the doctrine of the deity of Christ can scarcely be overestimated. Jesus Christ does not sustain the same relation to Christianity that other founders of religion sustain to the faiths which they have originated. Buddha (B.C. 563-484), Confucius (551-478), and Mohammed (A.D. 570?-632) are significant primarily for their teaching; but Jesus Christ is significant primarily for His person." p. 138.

There isn't room in one short devotional to list the proofs (with supporting Bible references) that Jesus is God, as theologians like Thiessen have done so ably -- proving that He:
- has the attributes of deity (is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, immutable)
- fulfills the offices of deity (as creator and sustainer of the created world).
- exercises the prerogatives of deity (forgives sins, raises the dead, will execute judgement). etc.

If you're interested in studying this, there are many great internet resources. For a start, check out John Piper's category the "Deity of Christ" (on the Desiring God site) which contains numerous links.

I, for one, am convinced. But what difference does a belief in Christ's deity make? I can think of three responses:

1. I can have confidence that Jesus IS the way to God -- as He says in John 14:6. I can proclaim this without apology, even though such audacious certainty is not politically correct in our society, which encourages tolerance of any and all opinions on how we get to God.

2. The logical response is to give Him my life. This is exactly the plea Paul makes to the Romans. After exclaiming over the excellence of God's plan and way of working in Romans 11:33-36, he goes on in Romans 12:1 to say: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

3. I can have peace, knowing that I have the best. As the verse following today's focus verse says "…you are complete in Him…" (Colossians 2:10).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I acknowledge You as God and Lord of my life. Help me to understand all this means in everyday living. Amen.

MORE: "Fairest Lord Jesus" - Ross Parsley

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.