Colossians 3:12-17
Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as member of one body you are called to live in peace.
And always be thankful.
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.
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
NIV
The United States of America is in turmoil this evening of January 6, 2021. We are on the eve of a new President being sworn in and the “old” President not wanting to concede. That conflict, as well as the rest we have experienced over most of 2020, has led to an almost coup of our Capitol.
I am 45 years old and I have never seen such blatant disrespect of a governmental system.
The only question on my mind is “what will tomorrow look like?”
Watching my country split itself into pieces is heartbreaking and terrifying. We have no idea how much more bloodshed is going to occur in peoples desperate effort to “be right” and to “have their own way”.
What will the fallout of an unmasked, non-socially distant riot be while still in the throes of a global pandemic??
There is much to be afraid of these days…
There is still so much uncertainty of our future as we deal with Covid as a people.
Many are dealing with other life issues that produce fear as well…awaiting a diagnosis, waiting for treatment to start working for an illness, job insecurities, marital crisis’s, financial burdens.
A new year normally represents a new hope for something better or different~ yet, this new year is beginning to feel like a carry-over from 2020.
So much has happened that has opened our eyes to the hurting, the injustice, the oppressed…how do we close them now that we can see?
So much has happened to bring awareness to the cracks in our many systems, from schools to law enforcement to social. The cracks only get larger as more time goes by without the proper repair work effective enough to correct what is wrong.
It is scary to think about what is wrong in our world. Frankly, a day like today makes it impossible to not look ahead without some trepidation.
However, our quest is to become UNAFRAID. I’m thankful the goal is to become.…that means there is an ongoing process at work. It means we have not yet reached our goal. In fact, we may not ever be 100% successful in accomplishing our task as long as we live on this side of Glory.
But we can still try…
And keep trying…
And keep trusting….
And keep believing that we CAN be unafraid…that we CAN overcome our fears…that we DO NOT have to be held captive to them.
Today, the encouragement from this verse, looks different than some of the others that we have read through. Today’s verse encourages us by giving a strategy that helps us to live for God daily…As we have learned in previous blogs, what we focus on- what it is we choose to think about- has either a positive effect on our overall well-being or a negative consequence.
Making a conscious choice to live for God daily puts our focus on Christ and OFF of what it is that troubles us…stresses us…causes fear.
In an era where we have News Channels available to us 24/7 and global information at our fingertips through our Smart Phones, it is easy for the turmoil of life to consume us. We far too easily have access to the details of events that are happening throughout the world as well as to “Dr. Google” who can over or under diagnose our every ailment.
It has become a necessary choice to distract ourselves from the world, instead of being distracted by the world.
We used to have to intentionally tune in for local or global event information…now, we have to intentionally tune out.
In our Scripture passage, the apostle Paul gives a list of ways to keep our focus on God~ away from fear. He is writing this letter to the church in Colosse to combat an infiltration of religion relativism into the church- believers who were trying combine elements of paganism and secular philosophy with Christian beliefs. His goal, in his letter, is to affirm they have all they need in Christ.
The list he provides us with keeps our focus on our Provider:
“Remove the head coach, and the team flounders; break the fuel line, and the car won’t run; unplug the electrical appliance, and it has no power.”
NIV Life Application Study Bible
When we stay connected to what Christ offers us we function at full capacity, we work well with others, and we have the provisions from the Spirit to complete the tasks set before us.
So, after reading our verse again, what is this list???
- Imitate Christ’s attitude of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness.
- Let love be the guide for your life.
- Allow God’s peace to rule in your heart.
- Be thankful.
- Keep the Word of God in your heart.
- Reflect Jesus with your actions, words, and attitude.
I think a good part of the verse to remember- especially in regards to allowing God’s peace to rule in your heart- is to make allowance for other people’s faults. It does not mean that we all have to agree and differences in opinions must be eliminated, but that we need to love each other in spite of our differences.
Another thing I would focus on is that in order to keep the Word of God in my heart, I best be reading the Word of God on a regular basis. I need to KNOW it in order to recall it: that requires effort of my part to meditate on it regularly.
When reading the Bible, I learn about the character of God…He shows me who He is through His Word.
Knowing Him allows me to trust Him.
When I trust Him, I believe what He says is truth.
When He tells me to FEAR NOT, then I can be UNAFRAID.
Focusing on God helps me to live for Him…living for God has me living like Him, treasuring His peace, cloaking myself in His love.
Suddenly, I am covered in armor to embolden me to face the unknowns of civil unrest, illness, grief, dissention, and financial worries.
I do not have to be afraid because I choose to be thankful in the only one I need to save me: Jesus.
What Kind of Peace Is This? 