A Peaceful Spirit

Colossians 3:22-25—Slaves obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.

Do you ever have those periods in your life when it feels like every single relationship is testing you?  This week has been one of those challenging times for me with students, colleagues, and even family.  During those times, it is hard not to lose heart, and it is difficult to show love to people when they are intentionally trying to hurt you.  This passage of Scripture is one of my anchors during periods of adversity.  It reminds me to always do the right thing, no matter how anyone else is treating me.  It also reminds me that I’m not in control anyway.  God is in control of all things, even in chaotic times, and I must never lose faith in Him.

Today as you pray and meditate, thank God for always being in control.  Pray that He would fortify your spirit and build up love in your heart that it would spill forth onto those around you, even when they aren’t ready to love you back.  Praise Him for His perfect plan in your life and pray that He would bring peace to your spirit always.

Loving Our Family

Colossians 3:18-21—Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart.

This Scripture provides a framework for reciprocal familial relationships.  A healthy family is filled with mutual respect, but each member demonstrates that respect in a different way.  Sometimes, though, showing love and respect for the members of our family presents a challenge.  It is easy to lose patience with those that we love because we get to a place that is so comfortable, it is like our filters go away.  We get so secure that our family will always love us that we forget to behave with a loving attitude toward them.  Not only that, but we see all the deep dark crevices of the weaknesses in each member of our family, and they see ours.  The better we know someone, the harder sometimes it is to show unconditional love because we start to make judgments and hold grudges based on past interactions.  We are also afraid of the judgments they make about us.  Sometimes we lose our patience and find it hard to forgive them for being human.

Today as you pray and meditate on this Scripture, consider the relationships in your life.  Give God thanks for blessing you with those relationships in your life.  Ask God to reveal those areas that need your attention.  Pray that He would fill you with a spirit to show His love to the most special people in your life.

Live for Him

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.

God has created each of us uniquely to fulfill a special purpose in His grand design.  Everything we do, even the most mundane chore around the house, has a purpose in God’s plan.  We don’t have to be preachers or missionaries to live our life for God, either.  In fact, if all we ever did was surround ourselves with other believers, no one would ever know the love of Jesus.  We are supposed to take His message out into the world because we aren’t Christians just when we show up to church.  Our status has permanently changed, our passport has been stamped, and our citizenship in God’s kingdom has been secured.  We are fundamentally changed in Christ’s love, and we must demonstrate that in all aspects of our life.

Today, prayerfully consider your daily routine.  Ask God to live boldly in you so that others may see him.  Ask Him to reveal areas where you have shut Him out and invite Him in.  Lift up praise to God through the words of Casting Crown’s Lifesong: May the words I say/And the things I do/Make my lifesong sing/Bring a smile to You/Let my lifesong sing to You/Let my lifesong/sing to You/I want to sign Your name/To the end of this day/Knowing that my heart was true/Let my lifesong sing to You.

He Loves Me

Colossians 3:16—Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

Do you know how much God loves you?  Deep down inside, in the depths of your soul, do you really believe it?  Before we can show others His love, we must first open our hearts to feeling the love He offers us.  When we learn Scripture, we gain a richer understanding of the love He has for us.  The more we study His Word, the less abstract it is—it will become personal and real to us.  Something we can actually feel.  As Christians we are responsible for showing that love to others, reminding them of Christ’s love for us.  We are supposed to hold each other accountable in a loving way.  Once we know God through His Word and allow ourselves to constantly feel loved by Him, the joy of our souls cannot be contained.  It will bubble out in joyous song enveloping all those around us in the circle of Christ’s love. 

Today as you pray and meditate on this Scripture, lift up praise to God for His steadfast love.  Be still and listen with an open heart ready to receive and acknowledge His love for you.  Let every part of your being flood with the light of His love and bubble over in song.

Peace in Christ

Colossians 3:15—And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

What does it mean to have the peace of Christ? It means we shouldn’t worry or feel scared—we shouldn’t become paralyzed by the inadequacy of our humanity.  We aren’t in control of what is happening in our lives, but we can rest assured that God is using all things together to bless us, not harm us.  God’s vision is multi-dimensional and far-reaching.  He understands more about what we need than we could ever fathom. 

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, take whatever worries, fears, and anxieties you have to God.  Be explicit when you talk to Him, and tell Him how you are feeling, why you are feeling that way, and ask Him to take control of the matter.  Ask Him to calm your soul and make His presence known to you.  Offer up praise for his abiding presence in your life.

Listening to God

Psalm 19:14—Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Everyone needs a good friend—you know, that person who is a good listener, who remembers what you say, pays attention when you talk, and gives you good advice when you need it.  I’ve been blessed with some really good friends in my life.  I also have some of those people who do a lot more talking than listening and who usually call only when they need something.  That kind of friend is really annoying, and it’s hard to be a good friend back to a person who is totally self-absorbed.  When I think about the type of friend I want to be, it makes me think about my prayer life.  God wants us to engage with him in conversation.  Prayer is our time to talk to God, and meditation is when we open ourselves to listen to Him.  Both aspects are necessary to a healthy spiritual life, but it’s easy to focus more on the prayer side because that is the more active part.  Meditation calls for us to listen and be still.  Just like we want good friends who both listen and talk, God wants us to listen and talk to Him. 

Today as you meditate on this Scripture, lift up your prayers to God, but also try to quiet your mind so that you can meditate, too.  Try to put all the chatter out of your mind and focus on receiving His peace.  Thank God for His love and desire to be in relationship with you.

Look Up

Acts 10:23b-26—The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

Cornelius seems to have been a man hungry for spiritual connection.  He was so open to the Gospel message that God sent an angel to him instructing that he send for Peter.  But in his eagerness, he initially mistook Peter for more than just a man.  He fell down to worship Peter and Peter had to tell him to stand up.  When Jesus ascended into heaven, Peter and the other apostles were left with amazing gifts that gave them great power to spread the Gospel, and sometimes others wanted to worship them instead of God.  That power could have easily gone to their heads.  Time and again, though, we see them grounded in their humanity while focusing the hearts, spirits, and minds on God.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, consider the two main characters in this passage.  Can you identify with Cornelius, a man so hungry for spirituality that God spoke to Him even before Cornelius knew Him?  Can you identify with Peter, a man so assured in his faith that he humbly accepted his humanity and redemption through Jesus Christ?  Pray that God would ground you even while your eyes lift upward.