Colossians 3:12–17
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:14
Click to read passage
In the last few days, we have been looking at passages from the book of Micah together with the issues facing Israel then. Today we switch to the book of Colossians, which at first sight seems like a major switch, and yet there are slightly similar issues facing both peoples. Let me explain.
The socially wealthy and powerful Israelites then were noted to be mistreating many of their fellow men. One possible reason for this is that many in Israel might have misunderstood Scripture, especially the promise written in the book of Deuteronomy. God had spoken then that he would bless the obedient and punish the disobedient. By becoming as rich as possible by any means, including others’ suffering, some may have mistakenly thought they were being blessed by God. They also thought that by offering more gifts to God, they would win God’s favour despite the cruel actions that they had taken.
The city of Colossae was located in the rich Lycus River valley together with Laodicea and Hierapolis. Yet the church was full of heresy arising from a misunderstanding of Scripture. Gnosticism, Jewish legalism, angel worship and asceticism were prevalent in Colossae, constantly threatening to replace the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul first denounces these views in Colossians chapters 1 and 2 and then focuses on describing true Christian living in Colossians 3. Just as Micah, who called the Israelites to true godly living of “doing justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Both calls for a shift of the focus of religion from false beliefs, empty rituals or sacrifices to actions of true daily ethics, mercy and a walk with God, all motivated by love. Colossians 3:12-17 makes a list of attributes that God’s chosen and holy people should have. They include various godly behaviours in v12, bearing and forgiving one another in v13, love in v14, thankfulness and the peace of Christ in v15, the message of Christ and gratitude in our hearts in v16, and finally doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus in v17.
Let’s take a pause now and ask ourselves: is my life living according to the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? Using some of the issues facing the Colossian church to illustrate this point: following rules and laws clearly is not a bad thing, but if taken to an extreme, it can turn into legalism and lead us to bark up the wrong tree. Angels are powerful beings and servants of God, but nowhere in Scripture are we called to worship them. We all know that discipline is a good and even godly characteristic, but again, if taken to the extreme, it could degenerate into asceticism. In Singapore, there are so many possible good causes available to us (e.g. climate change, social concern, charity work, and so on), but we must be careful that we will never allow them to replace true Christian living in our lives. On the opposite side, we must always work to ensure that characteristics like humility, kindness, gentleness, forbearing, forgiveness, etc. constantly abound in our lives, with love being the overall attribute that binds all these together.
Reflection:
What is the one attribute you would like to improve, and what is one action you can take to help you achieve it?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to show us how we should live. Forgive us when we fail to reach your standards. Please remain patient with us and constantly strengthen and transform us more and more into the likeness of your Son. Help us to also constantly support our brothers and sisters in Christ as we journey on this straight and narrow road with your strength. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. P.S.: The Scripture passage used for today’s devotion differs from the one printed in the DMT GO Booklet 2. Apologies for the inconvenience.
Click to read passage
In the last few days, we have been looking at passages from the book of Micah together with the issues facing Israel then. Today we switch to the book of Colossians, which at first sight seems like a major switch, and yet there are slightly similar issues facing both peoples. Let me explain.
The socially wealthy and powerful Israelites then were noted to be mistreating many of their fellow men. One possible reason for this is that many in Israel might have misunderstood Scripture, especially the promise written in the book of Deuteronomy. God had spoken then that he would bless the obedient and punish the disobedient. By becoming as rich as possible by any means, including others’ suffering, some may have mistakenly thought they were being blessed by God. They also thought that by offering more gifts to God, they would win God’s favour despite the cruel actions that they had taken.
The city of Colossae was located in the rich Lycus River valley together with Laodicea and Hierapolis. Yet the church was full of heresy arising from a misunderstanding of Scripture. Gnosticism, Jewish legalism, angel worship and asceticism were prevalent in Colossae, constantly threatening to replace the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul first denounces these views in Colossians chapters 1 and 2 and then focuses on describing true Christian living in Colossians 3. Just as Micah, who called the Israelites to true godly living of “doing justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Both calls for a shift of the focus of religion from false beliefs, empty rituals or sacrifices to actions of true daily ethics, mercy and a walk with God, all motivated by love. Colossians 3:12-17 makes a list of attributes that God’s chosen and holy people should have. They include various godly behaviours in v12, bearing and forgiving one another in v13, love in v14, thankfulness and the peace of Christ in v15, the message of Christ and gratitude in our hearts in v16, and finally doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus in v17.
Let’s take a pause now and ask ourselves: is my life living according to the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? Using some of the issues facing the Colossian church to illustrate this point: following rules and laws clearly is not a bad thing, but if taken to an extreme, it can turn into legalism and lead us to bark up the wrong tree. Angels are powerful beings and servants of God, but nowhere in Scripture are we called to worship them. We all know that discipline is a good and even godly characteristic, but again, if taken to the extreme, it could degenerate into asceticism. In Singapore, there are so many possible good causes available to us (e.g. climate change, social concern, charity work, and so on), but we must be careful that we will never allow them to replace true Christian living in our lives. On the opposite side, we must always work to ensure that characteristics like humility, kindness, gentleness, forbearing, forgiveness, etc. constantly abound in our lives, with love being the overall attribute that binds all these together.
Reflection:
What is the one attribute you would like to improve, and what is one action you can take to help you achieve it?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending your Son Jesus to show us how we should live. Forgive us when we fail to reach your standards. Please remain patient with us and constantly strengthen and transform us more and more into the likeness of your Son. Help us to also constantly support our brothers and sisters in Christ as we journey on this straight and narrow road with your strength. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. P.S.: The Scripture passage used for today’s devotion differs from the one printed in the DMT GO Booklet 2. Apologies for the inconvenience.