Colossians 3:12-17
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Daily Devotion
By Jesse Sanders
Colossians 3:12-17 (NLT) 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 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. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
I believe verse 17 of Colossians 3, is an under communicated portion of this text. The Word tells us that everything we are doing and saying should be done in a way that shows we are a representative of Jesus. Meaning that every action we take, and word we speak is an opportunity to show and communicate to others, who Jesus is. That is both an interesting thought, and a sobering principle to consider. We are not perfect, and won’t ever achieve perfection until we see Jesus in the end, but that shouldn’t stop us from doing our best everyday, to make sure that our actions and words can and will be an example/testimony to the goodness and greatness of God. There are many people around us that are searching for an answer to the questions that vex their spirits. Jesus is the answer to those questions. God is calling us to be an example and show His love to those that we come into contact with. We can make a difference and impact the growth of God’s Kingdom in a positive way, if we can be a true witness of the power of reconciliation and restoration that can be found in Jesus.