I love the book of Colossians. A great reminder to live more for and like Jesus. Everyday I ask to be more like Him. And the part that says that we should be thankful. Even though my life isn’t exactly what I expected-things have been hard for the last few years- I go to bed thankful for what I have always ❤️
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
Struggling with parts of Colossians today; the statement that there is no slave or master, but then later on instructing slaves how to act? And then the passage about wives submitting to husbands is difficult to grapple with because, again, it implies that there is a hierarchy. Any thoughts on this?
When he says there is no slave or master, it’s a reference to the kingdom of God, where Christ forgives all and loves all equally. However, the unfortunate reality of the day was that there were slaves and bond servants. Paul is reminding them to act as though their service is for God and not for their master, which presents a good testimony of the power of Christ to change lives. As far as wives submitting to husbands, in a sense there is a hierarchy. Ephesians 5:23 says that “husbands are the head of their wives, just as Christ is the head of the church, His body.” Wives are one body with their husbands but we are not the head/leader. Submission to our husbands does not make us inferior to them. Submission from the Greek means to have a voluntary attitude of cooperation. So instead of constantly fighting our husbands leadership in our home, we should assume an attitude of cooperation with them. If there is an issue we disagree on, we should be respectful towards them and work with them to reach a solution rather than arguing and fighting to be right. It is not a superior/inferior situation, it is allowing our husbands to lead us in righteousness just as Christ leads the church in righteousness.
I needed the words of Colossians 3 today to remind me of what I am to seek: what are the things that are above? They’re not covetousness, sexual immorality, impurity, anger, wrath, greed, etc. The things above are compassion, kindness, forgiveness, humility, and LOVE. The life above looks like singing psalms and hymns with thankfulness in our hearts to God. It looks like submission and serving. It’s a life where Jesus reigns and lives His life through us, His people. Jesus, make me a person in whom YOU have absolute authority and headship. You are worthy. ❤️
23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. “
The high places are altars to idols, not to God. Some kings tore them down, doing what was right in God’s eyes. Some kings feared their subjects more than God and left them up, allowing their people to continue to worship idols and sin against God.
High places are altars to idols, never to God. Some kings tore them down, doing what is right in God’s eyes. Some kings feared their subjects more than God and allowed them to remain.
May we believe and act according to this truth today, that we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. It is Christ now who is our life, and we will appear with him in glory. Until then we are putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of our Creator.
Really enjoying the book of Colossians. So many good passages to memorize and on which to meditate! Our pastor spoke on Sunday about identity in Christ and reminding us that who we are determines what we do. Paul says in 3:12-17 that we are beloved, holy and chosen. It’s from that place that we can practice compassion, kindness, humility and patience along with all the other qualities he lists for us to put on as believers. I can’t help noticing he mentions being thankful three times in this passage; I’ve been working on practicing gratitude daily this year as a way to have a better attitude and open my eyes to all the ways the Lord is working. Thankful for His word and for the encouragement/insight you ladies share!
What amazed me most is in 1 Kings 22:20-22 we actually get an insight into Heaven with God talking to the angels about enticing King Ahab. It is so awesome to know that God has His hands in everything.
This was very eye opening. We have to be careful about the decisions we take now. If it is not right in Gods eyes because it definitely will affect our future generations.
Part of what stuck out to me was how much a sinful heart can distort human perspective, to the point that He was willing to kill an innocent man to have a vegetable garden in a specific place!! You can’t sin in one aspect of your life without it affecting your mindset as a whole. It’s so important that we continually check our hearts, and invite Christ to make known any ways we’re prone to be led astray and ask for His guidance.
Also, I really love how Kings, even unjust ones, would seek the Word of the Lord before making the decision whether or not to enter battle! Oh, how I wish that same mindset was present in our politics today, that our leaders would seek the Lord, and may I also seek Him first in every decision!
I have to say that today this passage really stood out to me, saw a casual friend complaining about an error at a restaurant and couldn’t help but think where is your forgiveness, they made a simple error and he proceeded to post vitriol on Facebook about the inconvenience to him – this was exactly what I was thinking as I read his post and the following comments – forgiveness is so easy and yet so few of us manage to employ it in our daily life. 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Reading about Jezebel and her influence on Ahab is eye opening. It is so important what kind of wife we are to our husbands. We can encourage in goodness, or embrace sin and consequently lead our husband astray. It is important for wives to encourage and help our husbands be better men instead of being manipulative and controlling.
Amazing to see God’s mercy to Ahab. He was a wicked King, yet when he humbled himself before God, the Lord showed His incredible mercy. I am forever thankful that the same God who showed mercy to Ahab lavishes His mercy on this wicked heart of mine! Praise be to my rock, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. One simple verse piercing my soul today. A command to disregard the frivolous worries, cares, and concerns of earth. Lord help me today, and every day, to set my mind on things above. Colossians is like a cool drink of water.
Good to be in the Word of my Lord today, each day. Need prayer from Gods family ladies. Please ask God to work a mighty work of healing as my husband (53) had 3 bypass w/ small stroke yesterday. Pray for his healing and for our 4 kids too (27, 20, 17, 13) to handle this sadness. Our 2nd oldest (son) died at Easter in 2012 in an accident and we have just been making progress in that healing. We need to trust our God but we are wiped out. Thank you.
Prince of peace, make your presence known to Heidi and her family today. Fall like a thick blanket on them and give their weary minds rest. Great Physician, thank you for your presence and power in Heidi’s husbands hospital room. Release divine healing over him and astound the family and doctors for Your glory. Release Your love over everyone involved, in a personal way that ministers to their unique needs. We love You, God and give you all the glory and praise!
Praying for God’s will to be done in your family and for healing for your husband, so that God may reveal himself to you all, and continually draw each of you near to him. Also praying that you would lean on God’s strength, and find rest in him, by his power alone. Blessings Heidi!
Sending prayers to you Heidi. I am so sorry for such a hard season in your life. May God grant you peace and an amazing testimony in His holy name. Amen.
Wow, so today Colossians 3:5 stood out to me today:
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
‘Which is idolatry’–you know, this makes a lot of sense with this passage from Kings today. Often, we read about idolatry and see it as simply ‘turning away from God’, not trusting him, and praying to idols. But what is the root of that? Wanting these passions and earthly desires, from sexual immorality to coveting what is not yours to have.
Ahab demonstrates this: he wants his neighbor’s land, and tries to buy it from him, but the guy tells him, “Hey, it’s not for sale. This is my family’s inheritance.” So Ahab lays on his bed and cries about it, until he gets his way.
While that sounds baby-ish of him, it’s a heart problem that if not dealt with, can cause a lot of problems, and in this case, caused someone to die.
That’s what makes it so important to practice love in action, and forgiveness, to have a thankful heart, and learn to be at peace with one another. Its why we must teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and why we love, respect, submit to each other.
“23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. IT IS THE LORD CHRIST YOU ARE SERVING.
Love these verses!! Whatever we do today, let’s do it with excellence with the Lord in mind! In my case, doing the dishes. *shudder* ;) Guess I’m serving God in my kitchen today!!
I LOVE this! It made me smile “serving God in my kitchen.” It’s such a breathtaking thing to realize we can serve God anywhere and everywhere. What a blessing! As a stay at home mom, I don’t always get to be out and about meeting others (though I know the value of being at home) but it feels great to think that just in doing my “job” with a joyful heart and thankful spirit, I am serving the Lord.
Wow. Colossians is definitely my favorite book we have read so far. I have grown up in the church, went to Christian high school, studied the word in church in college but never read this book as a whole. It is so beautifully convicting! Thank you for opening my eyes to this short book with such a powerful list of things to live by In order to better live for Him.
For so long, Colossians 3:20 depressed me because why should I uphold my end of the bargain when my dad didn’t follow HIS end of the deal with v21! But each time, God gently reminded me that He is only asking me to do my part. It is between Him and dad whether dad does his bit or not, and He will deal with that accordingly. It is now one of my biggest mantras as a parent – do not provoke my children!
Dear God, help me to live out your plan for me. Help me to be more like you and to do what you would do. I trust you, Lord – lead the way. I love you!
I love the book of Colossians. A great reminder to live more for and like Jesus. Everyday I ask to be more like Him. And the part that says that we should be thankful. Even though my life isn’t exactly what I expected-things have been hard for the last few years- I go to bed thankful for what I have always ❤️
❤️
❤️
14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
8But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
✅
✝️
15And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful.
Let our hearts be controlled by the peace of the Messiah, not the fear, worry, shame, etc. of the world.
Struggling with parts of Colossians today; the statement that there is no slave or master, but then later on instructing slaves how to act? And then the passage about wives submitting to husbands is difficult to grapple with because, again, it implies that there is a hierarchy. Any thoughts on this?
When he says there is no slave or master, it’s a reference to the kingdom of God, where Christ forgives all and loves all equally. However, the unfortunate reality of the day was that there were slaves and bond servants. Paul is reminding them to act as though their service is for God and not for their master, which presents a good testimony of the power of Christ to change lives. As far as wives submitting to husbands, in a sense there is a hierarchy. Ephesians 5:23 says that “husbands are the head of their wives, just as Christ is the head of the church, His body.” Wives are one body with their husbands but we are not the head/leader. Submission to our husbands does not make us inferior to them. Submission from the Greek means to have a voluntary attitude of cooperation. So instead of constantly fighting our husbands leadership in our home, we should assume an attitude of cooperation with them. If there is an issue we disagree on, we should be respectful towards them and work with them to reach a solution rather than arguing and fighting to be right. It is not a superior/inferior situation, it is allowing our husbands to lead us in righteousness just as Christ leads the church in righteousness.
This was really helpful. Thank you!
Good words and very well put!!!
Here’s a helpful commentary on the husband/wife roles:
https://versebyversecommentary.com/1996/11/05/colossians-318/
When I was reading I thought the same thing, I will read the attached article.
I needed the words of Colossians 3 today to remind me of what I am to seek: what are the things that are above? They’re not covetousness, sexual immorality, impurity, anger, wrath, greed, etc. The things above are compassion, kindness, forgiveness, humility, and LOVE. The life above looks like singing psalms and hymns with thankfulness in our hearts to God. It looks like submission and serving. It’s a life where Jesus reigns and lives His life through us, His people. Jesus, make me a person in whom YOU have absolute authority and headship. You are worthy. ❤️
God transcends all barriers making them no longer important.
Let’s put on LOVE and remember that!!
15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. -ellie
23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. “
Can someone please explain the high places? Are they alters for the Lord? Or for any god? Some kings tore them down. Some didn’t.
The high places are altars to idols, not to God. Some kings tore them down, doing what was right in God’s eyes. Some kings feared their subjects more than God and left them up, allowing their people to continue to worship idols and sin against God.
High places are altars to idols, never to God. Some kings tore them down, doing what is right in God’s eyes. Some kings feared their subjects more than God and allowed them to remain.
This is the worship centers were for the pagan gods, the Asherim.
May we believe and act according to this truth today, that we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. It is Christ now who is our life, and we will appear with him in glory. Until then we are putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of our Creator.
Really enjoying the book of Colossians. So many good passages to memorize and on which to meditate! Our pastor spoke on Sunday about identity in Christ and reminding us that who we are determines what we do. Paul says in 3:12-17 that we are beloved, holy and chosen. It’s from that place that we can practice compassion, kindness, humility and patience along with all the other qualities he lists for us to put on as believers. I can’t help noticing he mentions being thankful three times in this passage; I’ve been working on practicing gratitude daily this year as a way to have a better attitude and open my eyes to all the ways the Lord is working. Thankful for His word and for the encouragement/insight you ladies share!
What amazed me most is in 1 Kings 22:20-22 we actually get an insight into Heaven with God talking to the angels about enticing King Ahab. It is so awesome to know that God has His hands in everything.
People can have such cruel filled hearts as he killed the man just for a vegetable garden
Great reminder for families to live together peacefully!
This was very eye opening. We have to be careful about the decisions we take now. If it is not right in Gods eyes because it definitely will affect our future generations.
Part of what stuck out to me was how much a sinful heart can distort human perspective, to the point that He was willing to kill an innocent man to have a vegetable garden in a specific place!! You can’t sin in one aspect of your life without it affecting your mindset as a whole. It’s so important that we continually check our hearts, and invite Christ to make known any ways we’re prone to be led astray and ask for His guidance.
Also, I really love how Kings, even unjust ones, would seek the Word of the Lord before making the decision whether or not to enter battle! Oh, how I wish that same mindset was present in our politics today, that our leaders would seek the Lord, and may I also seek Him first in every decision!
Wow… Just wanted to highlight all of this Colossians
I bookmarked everything! Seems like the entire basis of Christian living in one passage — loved it!
Right! Same here! Powerful!
I have to say that today this passage really stood out to me, saw a casual friend complaining about an error at a restaurant and couldn’t help but think where is your forgiveness, they made a simple error and he proceeded to post vitriol on Facebook about the inconvenience to him – this was exactly what I was thinking as I read his post and the following comments – forgiveness is so easy and yet so few of us manage to employ it in our daily life. 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Reading about Jezebel and her influence on Ahab is eye opening. It is so important what kind of wife we are to our husbands. We can encourage in goodness, or embrace sin and consequently lead our husband astray. It is important for wives to encourage and help our husbands be better men instead of being manipulative and controlling.
Ouch! But true.
Amazing to see God’s mercy to Ahab. He was a wicked King, yet when he humbled himself before God, the Lord showed His incredible mercy. I am forever thankful that the same God who showed mercy to Ahab lavishes His mercy on this wicked heart of mine! Praise be to my rock, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
Please GOD and not man…He is the One who rewards not men. Amen
Wow! Colossians is really great!!! I’m definitely inspired!
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Gonna be striving to keep my “new self” present.
Wow Colossians is my new favorite passage. Encouraging and humbling. May I live to please the Lord and not man.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. One simple verse piercing my soul today. A command to disregard the frivolous worries, cares, and concerns of earth. Lord help me today, and every day, to set my mind on things above. Colossians is like a cool drink of water.
Good to be in the Word of my Lord today, each day. Need prayer from Gods family ladies. Please ask God to work a mighty work of healing as my husband (53) had 3 bypass w/ small stroke yesterday. Pray for his healing and for our 4 kids too (27, 20, 17, 13) to handle this sadness. Our 2nd oldest (son) died at Easter in 2012 in an accident and we have just been making progress in that healing. We need to trust our God but we are wiped out. Thank you.
Prince of peace, make your presence known to Heidi and her family today. Fall like a thick blanket on them and give their weary minds rest. Great Physician, thank you for your presence and power in Heidi’s husbands hospital room. Release divine healing over him and astound the family and doctors for Your glory. Release Your love over everyone involved, in a personal way that ministers to their unique needs. We love You, God and give you all the glory and praise!
What a beautiful prayer!
What a beautiful, sweet, heartfelt prayer!
Praying for you all <3
Prayers for strength, peace, calm and trust.
Praying for you, sweet Heidi, and your family.
Praying for God’s will to be done in your family and for healing for your husband, so that God may reveal himself to you all, and continually draw each of you near to him. Also praying that you would lean on God’s strength, and find rest in him, by his power alone. Blessings Heidi!
Sending prayers to you Heidi. I am so sorry for such a hard season in your life. May God grant you peace and an amazing testimony in His holy name. Amen.
Praying that God’s will be done Heidi!
Lifting your family up in prayer, Heidi.
Still praying for you all, Heidi!
Wow, so today Colossians 3:5 stood out to me today:
“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
‘Which is idolatry’–you know, this makes a lot of sense with this passage from Kings today. Often, we read about idolatry and see it as simply ‘turning away from God’, not trusting him, and praying to idols. But what is the root of that? Wanting these passions and earthly desires, from sexual immorality to coveting what is not yours to have.
Ahab demonstrates this: he wants his neighbor’s land, and tries to buy it from him, but the guy tells him, “Hey, it’s not for sale. This is my family’s inheritance.” So Ahab lays on his bed and cries about it, until he gets his way.
While that sounds baby-ish of him, it’s a heart problem that if not dealt with, can cause a lot of problems, and in this case, caused someone to die.
That’s what makes it so important to practice love in action, and forgiveness, to have a thankful heart, and learn to be at peace with one another. Its why we must teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and why we love, respect, submit to each other.
“23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”
That’s a great connection! Thankfully the Holy Spirit helps us look at those deeper heart problems.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. IT IS THE LORD CHRIST YOU ARE SERVING.
Love these verses!! Whatever we do today, let’s do it with excellence with the Lord in mind! In my case, doing the dishes. *shudder* ;) Guess I’m serving God in my kitchen today!!
I LOVE this! It made me smile “serving God in my kitchen.” It’s such a breathtaking thing to realize we can serve God anywhere and everywhere. What a blessing! As a stay at home mom, I don’t always get to be out and about meeting others (though I know the value of being at home) but it feels great to think that just in doing my “job” with a joyful heart and thankful spirit, I am serving the Lord.
Yes!
Wow. Colossians is definitely my favorite book we have read so far. I have grown up in the church, went to Christian high school, studied the word in church in college but never read this book as a whole. It is so beautifully convicting! Thank you for opening my eyes to this short book with such a powerful list of things to live by In order to better live for Him.
For so long, Colossians 3:20 depressed me because why should I uphold my end of the bargain when my dad didn’t follow HIS end of the deal with v21! But each time, God gently reminded me that He is only asking me to do my part. It is between Him and dad whether dad does his bit or not, and He will deal with that accordingly. It is now one of my biggest mantras as a parent – do not provoke my children!