Devotional Fuel to Reboot Your Mind

Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”

Thomas Edison said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” It requires effort. Solomon said in Proverbs 14:23, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Paul just said in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Paul said we need to honor Christ in our work, hearts, and behavior, by having a faithful and conscientious performance in our role of duty, therefore, pleasing Christ, our true Master.

Mark Batterson, in his book “Double Blessing. Don’t Settle for Less Than You’re Called to Bless, states on page 97, “We’ve explored the habits of highly blessed people – humility, integrity, generosity, creativity, and praising God for partial miracles. We’ve discussed ways of positioning ourselves for blessing, not the least of which involves praying like it depends on God and working like it depends on us. God won’t bless a lack of effort any more than a lack of gratitude.” That reminds me of Colossians 3:23-24. We don’t have to pray in a King James version. Unique words used repeatedly are unnecessary. We just have to talk earnestly to God from our heart because He is in control of our circumstances.

Here are three other Bible versions on Colossians 3:23-24:

• Weymouth New Testament states: “Whatever you are doing, let your hearts be in your work, as a thing done for the Lord and not for men.”
• HCSB: Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.
• Amplified Bible, “Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.

There is no guarantee on earth of fairness of treatment in our modern-day work environment. By the way, David, in the Old Testament, his boss Saul, did not treat him right. Did you ever think about that? Yet David behaved more wisely than all the servants Saul had because he believed Saul was in God’s hands, that his life was precious, had value, and waited upon God to take matters into His own hands. God did take Saul out in the end in a battle against the Philistines. David ended up ruling as king for 40 years who served as the Lord’s anointed and was called a man after God’s own heart. David is an example of someone who always connected to God and others by his heart and his head. He was a man of influence. David proved himself to be reliable due to his faith and trust in God.

Paul assured the church in Colossae and us today that there is a final rewarding and punishment day coming “and there is no partiality.” God is not influenced by social position and status. He requires humility, integrity, and unselfishness enthusiastically and passionately shown in our daily walks of life before others. We are to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we must pray hard and work hard, giving sincere thanks to God for each day He has given us to live here on this earth. There is a better day coming!

Listen to Casting Crowns Here’s My Heart (Live) November 20, 2015 YouTube

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Every morning I write out my list of plans for that day on a notepad. I have Proverbs 16:3 in the heading  of my list of tasks for the day, which says, “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” I commit my intended plans for each day to God each morning, as He will establish what lies ahead of me for that day. But this verse has made me reflect throughout my day in questioning myself, am I doing this in the name of the Lord Jesus? Would He be pleased? That played a part of myself needing verbal restraints in my frustration over resolving an error this week, on my Verizon bill. It ended up taking slightly over two hours over the phone to get corrected. That was very unexpected and I gave a yelp and holler out loud of “thank you Jesus!” when it finally was accomplished! It took three different employees in getting the needed correction!

There are 100 Bible verses related to what is called “Good Deeds” that Paul is teaching about in Colossians 3:17. Four of them are the following, and give food for thought:

• 1 Peter 2:12, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” We need to maintain our integrity against Satan’s attacks in his strategy against our personality, emotions, and our will power.
• 2 Timothy 4:14, “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” Ah yes, holy justice! All of us will have an Alexander in our life. Wearing a deep shade of bitter is never attractive. God is our overseer and balances the scales in the end.
• Matthew 5:15, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus worked in such a way that He did not draw attention or glory to Himself, but only to His Father.
• Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” You may feel you are not very impressive but God does not need duplicates. You are a living example and picture of His workmanship.

Good deeds, showing acts of kindness, give evidence of our salvation. The Amplified Bible states Colossians 3:17 this way, “Whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus [and in dependence on Him], giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Due to the pandemic, most of my workday involves verbal communication, either over the phone or via text messages and emails, rather than seeing people in person. Nonverbal communication, such as body language, posture, hand gestures, facial expressions, is not visible. So my words are significant and essential in communicating the intended action I expect to happen. My written comments have to be concise, not too lengthy, and precise in my communication. There have been times when misinterpretations have resulted which I had not intended. We all have not so great days. But if my attitude was responding in full obedience to Christ, as Colossians 3:17 teaches, how would that look differently? It requires learning the art of listening intently to what the other person is saying and having what is called emotional intelligence. Then pausing to quickly pray for the right words of wisdom the Holy Spirit has for the right response, in the precisely fitting word or deed to say or do in the situation. I need to quickly pause and pray and ask to be given those apple of gold words and deeds more consistently.

Doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus requires all words, deeds of action, all undertakings, needing to have this mindset. This will then give perseverance in life’s demanding situations because I (you) are doing them in the name of the Lord Jesus. As a Christ follower, a born again Christian, we are His representative to others. That is where true contentment in life is found – because of Jesus and nothing less. That intention is the solution.

Listen to Natalie Grant – In The End (Official Music Video). February 21, 2020.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Webster’s American Dictionary of the KJV dictionary definition for dwell states: “Dwell imports a residence of some continuance. We use abide for the resting of a night or an hour; but we never say, he dwelt in a place a day or a night. Dwell may signify a residence for life or for a much shorter period, but not for a day. In Scripture, it denotes a residence of seven days during the feast of tabernacles.” Therefore, Paul was teaching that the word of Christ should continue in our thoughts, hearts, and minds continually. Christ’s words need to inhabit us in molding our lives to be more like Him, not just for a day, and become a statement upon our life. God’s Word needs to abide, inhabit, and remain in my thoughts and in my worship in song, as I go about my day and even while I sleep at night, in order to give me guidance, wisdom, and instruction. As Proverbs 15:21 states, “Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.”

Two words that Jesus said to His disciples that have been “abiding in my mind” are when Jesus said, “Follow me.” Peter thought he was ready for anything, but wasn’t, when Jesus asked him three times if he loved Him? Jesus told Peter simply to “Follow me.” Later, Peter asked Jesus how John would die (John 21:18-23)? Jesus replied, “What is that to you? You must follow me.” Peter was comparing himself to John. Peter had just heard he was going to die painfully. Jesus’s response was blunt and to the point; oh how I can relate to Peter as I compare myself to other writers, wives, mothers, grandmothers, and businesswomen. Jesus would say to me, just as he said to Peter, “What is that to you? Follow me.”

 I do not know what the future has for me. But I do know that Jesus has told me to follow Him. Two simple words that Jesus said, “Follow me.” That gives me courage and strength, despite challenges and difficulties, because God knows what is ahead. I must simply follow Him, letting the words of Scripture take residence in my mind and heart – to dwell there. Songs of thanksgiving and praises will then spill forth to Jehovah Jireh, my provider, as He meets me in my difficult circumstances, struggles, frustrations, mistakes, and successes, finding that melody of a song that I lift up to Him with thankfulness in my heart to God.

Listen to Mercy Me (Official Lyric Video) Say I Won’t. 12/18/2020

Colossians 3:8-10, “But now you must put them all away: anger, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

I recently went through my closet and took out the clothes that are no longer in style or are now not fitting me anymore and were taking up space. Likewise, I should take a review throughout my day and remove any old and bad habits that need to be put away as Paul admonishes the believers in Colossae in order to remain faithful to their confession of faith, they must be dead to the old self, and living in the newness of Christ. In looking at the words Paul chose in these verses, these sins are primarily committed by what we say and attitudes towards others. Paul calls the believer to a deeper obedience. He tells us, as James did in James 1:26 and 3:1-9, to bridle our tongue.

The Christian must put off five things, Paul is stating in Colossians 3:8-10, which are anger (temper), malice, slander, filthy communication, and lying. The Greek word translated “wrath”  is “thumos” which means “hot.” It is a blaze of sudden anger quickly built and just as quickly dies, like a fire in a fire pit that quickly blazed and then died out. The other Greek word “anger is “orge,” which has to do with anger that is long-lasting, slow-burning, or slow simmering emotion. Paul is stating neither one, any burst of temper and long-lasting anger, are forbidden in being a Christ-follower. How Satan prowls around and sets traps for us to plummet into this area. Many relationships become scarred from anger.

Malice is finding humor in someone’s misfortune. I lapsed into that recently when a customer, who is in a management position, had sent several arrogant, exaggerations in complaints, demeaning, rude, and undermining verbal accusatory emails to myself and one of our customer service representatives that handles this account. They were hurtful and left a sting. Then much to my surprise, I received a call from someone over this problematic individual, that was doing an investigation against this manager. She informed me this individual was treating my competitors with the same verbal abuse. I was asked to forward the emails to her and other examples as a plan was in motion to take care of this individual corporately once and for all, which I did. I have to admit I did find retribution and justice very pleasant! But, after thinking it over, in light of Colossians 3, I felt convicted regarding my emotional reactions. Jesus reacted to sneers and criticism, which were unwarranted with very few words. He felt sorrowful and troubled during those times and needed his Father. Jesus exposed motives, sought peace, applied Scripture, and prayed. Ouch. I need to do the same. Have you ever been there too?

To be a light wherever God places us, be it at the grocery store, driving in your car, interactions with co-workers and family, we must be different people. “Therefore, “When a tide of passion or a surge of anger is felt, it must be dealt with as the alien intruder it really is, and turned out of the house as having no right to be there at all, let alone to be giving orders.” Tom Wright. The New Testament For Everyone Commentary.

Like my tossed-out clothes, I  must put away and not take out old habits of sin and put on what I am learning in God’s Word in being renewed inwardly in the knowledge of my creator. It takes more than just making New Year’s resolutions and having good intentions. It takes mirroring Christ’s response to opposition. I need to examine motives. Seek peace. Apply Scripture to the situation and then pray for myself and others. Then I need to sit back and let God do His work and do the talking instead of me.

Listen to Casting Crowns Start Right Here (Single Version) [Official Lyric Video] 7/24/20.

Colossians 2:8-11, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

Miriam Webster’s Dictionary defines the word captive as being “held under the control of another but having the appearance of independence.”  As I read Colossians 2:8-11, I see it as a prayer for my grandchildren, as they grow up, and when and if they go to a state university or college, to have their minds guarded by the truths found in God’s Word so they will not be held captive by false philosophies and teachings. We all know someone who has detoured away from the faith, influenced by some famous false cult or promoter of false philosophy and doctrine that is hollow and Biblically empty, and we wonder how they could do that? There used to be a popular band, back in the 1960s, called The Monkees that had a song about how no one believed in absolute right and wrong anymore, “only shades of gray.” Today that phrase brings to mind films and books by that name, in our society that believes in relativism. It is a theory that ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them (Mirriam Webster’s Dictionary). God’s Word disagrees with that philosophy.

We all have to guard our mind against various popular perspectives and thinking that sneak into our culture that are Biblically in error.  The philosophy that threatened the Colossian Christians was a mixture of Gnosticism, Greek philosophy, local mystery religions, and Jewish mysticism. We think our world we live in today is terrible. It was sinful and lacked all moral restraints. But it seemed highly intelligent. Paul warned Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:20, “O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it, some have swerved from the faith.” Paul was telling Timothy, hyper intellectualism doesn’t work. It has no value.

When there are issues or matters of the heart and soul, only the Bible, God’s Word, has the answers. Paul was a philosopher and was highly educated. He condemned any teaching that credits man being the answer to his own problems instead of Christ. Paul states, “and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” We have been filled in Christ. Our souls are like elastic. This says to me there are no limits to the capacity His Spirit can fill into me. “We can always open to hold more and more of his fullness . . . The more we receive of his fullness, the more we can receive.” R. Kent Hughes. Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.  The Fellowship Of The Gospel And the Supremacy of Christ. When we draw on Christ’s fullness, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:19, we are filled with the fullness of God. What more do we need?

I like how the Message states Colossians 2:8-11, “Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.”

Listen to Matthew West’s song Truth Be Told (Official Lyric Video).

Colossians 2:6-7, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Paul repeated in Colossians 2:6, what he said previously in Colossians 1:10, “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” What does that require, in walking worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and then bearing fruit? Jesus said follow me – two simple words, thirteen times in the Gospels. Those two simple words pack powerful meaning. It gives our life guidance and rules how we are to live. As I go about my workday, I need to check and ask myself: Am I walking in Jesus? Is my faith being shown in my total commitment with humility in my attitude and actions? Am I responding gently in moments of conflict and challenging circumstances? I confess, that trips me up. Then, am I bearing the fruit of forgiveness, love, patience, and discipline? That challenges me some days more than others, especially this past week. How about you?

Paul uses two images – a tree (rooted) and a building (built-up), a double metaphor. I picture the trees in front of all the houses on our block. They reach tall into the sky and have deep roots. These trees are sturdy, and their root systems grow deep. Roots serve to absorb water and minerals from the soil and transport them to the stems of leaves. They anchor and support the plant or tree in the ground, keeping them from being blown over. When we are firmly rooted in our relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in our knowledge of Him from reading His Word, we are able to be steadfast, unmovable, standing firm in our faith and hope, as Psalm 73:26 declares, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Any building always starts with a foundation. It is what is buried in the ground and holds the building up. The land, especially in California, is not totally still or solid. Foundations distribute the load of the structure evenly to the subsoil. The stronger the foundation, the more stable is the structure of the building. Christ has not called us to a life of ease without struggles and battles when He called us to follow Him. There seems to be push-backs every day in our life all around us. Yet Christ requires us to stand firm, have stability, stand strong, grow deep in our relationship with Him, sending out deep roots of faith and hope by abiding in Christ and He in us. When your life’s foundation is built upon Christ, spiritual maturity takes root from the wisdom and knowledge of knowing doctrinal truth, and it is then that you will be able to withstand Satan’s attacks, having put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). You will have days when you feel everything is crashing down upon you. But take heart, remember and review what God has taught you in the past, what verses have taught you wisdom and knowledge, as you take refuge in Him. God will again provide all you need, for He is Jehovah Jireh. Dig deep into His Word. Stand tall in your position in Christ. “The deeper and more widespread our roots in Christ, the greater shade, fruit, and beauty we provide.” Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. The Fellowship of the Gospel and the Supremacy of Christ. R. Kent Hughes.

Listen to Danny Gokey’s new song, Stand In Faith (Official Lyric Video) 5/21/21

Colossians 2:2-3, “That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and of wisdom and knowledge of God’s mystery in Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Do you realize that when you are discouraged and downcast, you become open prey for spiritual warfare as a Christian? Paul purposefully encouraged the church at Colossae, against false doctrine being taught. They needed to stand firm and be mature in their faith, and to remain true in God’s plan of salvation in Christ. Today, the church has had many attacks this past year, and believers have had to stand firm in their faith and have unity just as these dear saints had to endure.

I think discouragement has been one of the lasting effects COVID has had on many. The waiting is depressing and discouraging, and contentment is a challenge. But Jesus promises to give us peace, love, and joy when he said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27. So how do you put that into practice daily, within the bombarding, contentious issues and situations occurring? It has been said that every two to three people you interact with are going through a crisis and have no hope in their turmoil. Our Pastor Todd has said as well, “You are either going through a trial or coming out of one.” Encouragement is a gift we can freely give one another, especially now.

Paul used the Greek word paraklein for the word “encouraged.” “Sometimes that word means to comfort, sometimes to exhort, but always at the back of it, there is the idea of enabling a person to meet some difficult situation with confidence and gallantry.” (Barclay). Paul wanted these Christians to be heroes in standing firm in their faith, despite any deceptive teaching threatening the Colossian church experiencing spiritual conflict.

It all boils down to in Christ is found the wisdom of life – nowhere else and nothing else.  Happiness is a fleeting feeling. Joy goes deeper into our soul. Paul is telling the Colossians that all the wisdom in life, all that you ever need is found in Jesus Christ, to get through life successfully. All the knowledge, understanding, learning to be done for our day is found in God’s Word. We have to search for it and then apply it. It says in Romans 11:33, “Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable [impossible to understand] his ways!” I realize I will not be able to figure out the “why’s” of my circumstances, but I can be encouraged that the Lord gives me hope from His promises found in His Word. That is where my assurance resides, in Jesus Christ alone.

A.W. Toser has said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” The Knowledge Of The Holy.

This is The MSG version of Colossians 2:2-3 in Paul’s encouraging letter to the church at Colossae, “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery!”

Listen to King & Country (Lyrics) Shoulders.

Colossians 1:9-10, “And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul repeated himself in saying, “we have not ceased to pray for you.” Paul and Timothy, prayed for continual blessings, knowledge of God’s will, to have spiritual discernment, and understanding of spiritual truths for the church people in Colossae. Paul was in tune with the Holy Spirit in his prayers for this group of people. Colossians 1:9-13 is like a written manual on praying for one another to enable God’s transforming power over their lives. Try reading these verses out loud and notice the power of these words, when you pray for your spouse, children, co-worker, friend, and for yourself.

“To know God and what He requires of us is our first responsibility.” David Guzik, Commentary. As I face a new week, my questions to myself need to be:

1. How will I know God better from going through this situation?
2. What does God require of me?
3. What is the wisdom the Holy Spirit has been teaching me recently in my daily reading of His Word that fits right into this situation?
4. How have I grown in my experiential knowledge – Epignosis – of spiritual understanding, discernment, of God himself, His will, and His grace, from these circumstances?
5. What is it He wants me to do in __________ situation? He is working at transforming me into the likeness of Christ.

I think of Samuel, when he anointed Saul as king, he said in 1 Samuel 10:7 MSG, “When these confirming signs are accomplished, you’ll know that you’re ready: Whatever job you’re given to do, do it! God is with you.”

So, the lesson is, the gifts, talents, abilities God has given you, use them. Do it for His glory, even though no one may complement you for doing so. Be patient and be satisfied from being filled with the Lord’s peace and joy in your walk with Him. Then, as Paul encouraged the Colossians in Colossians 4:5-6, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Go do it! God is with you!

May you see the mighty power of God today in your life as you persevere. This is the competitive advantage you possess, because Christ is in you, as prayers going up for you, and from you, are not wasted. The very wisdom you ask Him for is walking with you everywhere you go.

Listen to Matt Maher Lord I Need You (Live) Official Lyric Video. 1/31/2020.