June 20 - Colossians 3:16

June 20 - Colossians 3:16

“Let 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.”

As a community of Christ, we have many different responsibilities, but the greatest of these is to show the love of Christ to the world and to each other.  Sometimes that is quite difficult, especially when personalities and individual needs and desires interfere.

We’ve read about how the virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, and then forgiveness are important, and how they need to be covered completely in love.  Then, in Col. 3:15, we read that we are called to peace as members of Christ’s body.  How do we do that?

This is how.  Through the word of Christ.  God dwells within us individually and He lives within the community.

Paul goes on to describe how this will show up.  As we teach and admonish (encourage,  give direction or advice) in wisdom.  Notice how Paul doesn’t stop after the word ‘admonish.’  He goes on to finish it with a modifier – in wisdom.  In other words, think before you speak.  God is there as we teach His word and as we encourage each other.  Then, He is there as we worship Him, giving thanks to Him with our singing.

There have been many, many church meetings that I have attended over the years alone, without God being present.  I’ve watched people become incensed as they try to push their agendas through, halt the work on things they don’t approve of and demean people whose only interest is in spreading God’s word.  Every single time, these meetings have ended in strife, discouragement, anger and disappointment.  Never have these meetings begun with strong teaching, worship and an invitation for God to be present.  Never have these meetings known peace.

When I was about to teach my first Sunday School class, mom gave me some great advice, knowing that I was young and about to deal with a group of rowdy sixth-grade boys.  She told me that at the first sign of trouble from any of them, I was to stop the class and ask them to pray with me.  As I asked God week after week to be a part of that class, I discovered that it was a moment of calm in those boys’ lives and they responded to it.  It didn’t stop all of the rowdy behavior all the time, but the purpose wasn’t to stifle them, it was to focus them.

Bring the word of Christ … God … to everything you do – teach and admonish with wisdom, worship with gratitude.