Monthly Archives: February 2025

Bible, Lord, Scripture, Soul, Works

GIVE IT YOUR ALL

COLOSSIANS 3:23

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,”

All for one and one for all. That is a common slogan used with groups of people, whether it be a sports team or another group that must work together. A group is only as strong as its weakest member. If one person isn’t totally devoted to the group, it can show in their production. We have to give it our all.

Paul is still speaking to slaves in today’s verse. In it he tells them to “work heartily.” It’s interesting to me that the word translated “heartily” is really the Greek word psuche which means soul. It was often referred to as our breath of life or our emotions. I would rewrite this verse to say, “Whatever you do, give it all you got, as if you are working for Jesus, not people.”

APPLICATION

This verse certainly has applications for us as believers. We can “do” a lot for the Lord but are they what He wants from us? What are you “doing” right now for Him? Are you giving it your all? It is so easy to get into a rut and just do stuff. I have heard a rut defined this way – it’s a grave with both ends knocked out. We certainly don’t want to live that way, do we?

Gill’s Exposition describes this work this way. “do it heartily, not by mere force and necessity, grudgingly, and with murmurings, but from the heart, and with good will, having a true, real, and hearty affection for their masters, having their good and interest at heart, and a delight in their service; like the Hebrew servant, that loved his master, as also his wife and children, and therefore would not depart from him,”

Is that how you see your work today? Do you do it grudgingly or with murmurings? I pray today you will begin your day giving thanks to the Lord for all He has called you to do. Do it with gratitude. Do it to please Him. Do it because you love Him and want to please Him. Then your work will be a pleasure!

Lord, give me joy in all I do today for Your kingdom.

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Bible, Bondslaves, Masters, Pleasing, Scripture, Slaves

DON’T BE A PEOPLE PLEASER

COLOSSIANS 3:22

“Slaves, obey those who are your human masters in everything, not with eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.”

I had a boss one time who did not like to see any of his employees sitting around. Even though all the tasks were done, he thought we should be doing something. We all learned to hop up and get busy the second any of us saw his truck coming down the street. Don’t get me wrong, we all worked hard. He was just very demanding. Some bosses are like that.

Paul turns to the topic of slaves and masters, a topic that most of us have never had to deal with personally. Spiros Zodhiates, in his Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, says this about this topic in his introduction to Colossians. “The occasion of the writing and sending of this Epistle was that of Paul sending a messenger to Philemon in Colossae in connection with his runaway, but now converted, slave, Onesimus (Colossians 4:7-9).”

APPLICATION

How do we apply verses about slavery to our 21st century lives? Well, it’s the principles taught. Remember, every word of God’s Word is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). Who are you trying to please? That’s the question Paul was raising for the slaves. These slaves were Christians, but they were still slaves. They were to please God first and allow Him to handle their masters.

And Paul says they are to “obey…in everything.” The word “obey” is the same word he used in verse 20 regarding children obeying their parents. When Paul says to obey everything, that meant these slaves couldn’t pick and choose what they obeyed. I am sure Paul did not mean to imply they should participate in ungodly, sinful behavior to please their masters. That would go against the very principles he had been teaching. But every other task they were assigned should be completed.

We are going to see more verses on this topic over the next few days. Paul spent a considerable amount of time on this because the Roman world, which was seeing more and more Christians come to faith, was full of slaves. These slaves needed guidance on how to live their new faith in their present circumstances. We will see how this applies to us, as well.

Father, I am Your slave, Your bondservant and am committed to please You above all.

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Bible, Discipline, Discouragement, Fathers, Scripture

DON’T BREAK THEIR SPIRIT

COLOSSIANS 3:21

“Fathers, do not antagonize your children, so that they will not become discouraged.”

When our children were young, they would sometimes misbehave and have to be disciplined. That old saying you may have heard as a child, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you,” is so true. I never liked to discipline my children, especially when I spanked them (don’t call protective services on me, lol). Often my wife would remind me, “Don’t break their spirit,” before I dealt with the issue. She was so right.

In this letter to the Colossians, Paul warns fathers not to “antagonize” their children, which really means not to stir up or provoke them to anger. The Ephesians equivalent is found in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Both verses stop a negative action. Here in Colossians, Paul does not want these fathers to cause their children to be discouraged, to have their spirits broken. Let’s look at that.

APPLICATION

The Greek word for “will not become discouraged” is athumeo, which comes from a (not) and thumos (spirit or passion). I love how Strong’s Lexicon describes this. “The concept of thumos was associated with the inner drive or passion that propelled individuals to act with bravery and determination. Thus, athumeo would have been understood as a significant emotional state, reflecting a loss of this vital inner drive.”

Paul is saying, “Don’t break their spirit.” When you correct your children, don’t come down so harsh that their little spirits are crushed. This can have long lasting effects on your relationships. It’s curious to me that Paul doesn’t tell mothers not to do this. A mother is more prone to nurture their child, to be more sensitive. It’s the fathers who are normally the harsh ones.

Unfortunately, I have seen far too many children being harshly criticized and discouraged. I’ve seen it in store checkout lines. I have seen it in restaurants and parking lots. I often wonder if this is how they are treated in public, what happens behind closed doors. Lord, protect these vulnerable little spirits.

Father, give every father the capacity to handle their children with Your compassion and mercy.

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Bible, Disobedience, Obedience, Pleasing, Scripture

THIS IS PLEASING

COLOSSIANS 3:20

“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.”

I worked with children for close to forty years. I have served as a Children’s Pastor, Youth Director and various roles with Children’s Homes throughout the Southeast U.S. An obedient child is a blessing to everyone, but I have had to deal with a lot of disobedient children through the years. There is no secret to “make” a child obey. They must choose to obey on their own.

As Paul continues to discuss roles within the family, he turns to the children. He says very clearly that to obey is to please the Lord. “Obey” is the Greek word that means to listen in order to obey. It points to a hearing under authority. In other words, God has placed people over us (parents, bosses, governments) to obey in order to please Him.

APPLICATION

Now, I know there are probably people in your life to whom you report to that you don’t particularly care for. As obedient children obey their parents, we too must obey our authorities. Why? Because it pleases the Lord. One of the best passages about pleasing the Lord is found in Romans 12:1-2.

“1 Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice,  acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Whom do you want to please today – God or yourself? I pray it is God. He has given us so many reasons to obey. Perhaps a study on obedience would be good. Take some time today or tomorrow and look up some verses about obedience using a good concordance. You may be surprised to see just how disobedient you are. Hmmm. What will you do about that?

Lord, help me yield myself to You as an obedient child.

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Bible, Bitterness, Commands, Husbands, Scripture, Wives

DON’T BE BITTER

COLOSSIANS 3:19

“Husbands, love your wives and do not become bitter against them.”

My wife loves lemons. I am not a fan unless they are in a dessert. I guess the sugar calms down the bitterness or sour taste. When something bitter hits my tongue, it’s an immediate turn off. I always order my sweet iced-tea without lemon. Half the time it comes with it anyway, so I promptly offer it to my wife. I make sure not to drink out of that side of the glass because I just don’t like that taste.

Paul uses a Greek word for “become bitter” that is used only three other times (all in Revelation) where they refer to something tasting bitter. However, Paul uses it to refer to emotional bitterness – men against their wives. Strong’s Lexicon describes the word this way. “The verb pikrainó is used in the New Testament to describe the act of making something bitter or causing bitterness. It can refer to both literal bitterness, such as the taste of something, and metaphorical bitterness, such as emotional or relational bitterness. The term often conveys a sense of causing distress or irritation.”

APPLICATION

The Jewish people ate bitter herbs during the Passover to remind them of their suffering in Egypt. Bitterness is not something we normally enjoy. In the book of Revelation, John uses the word to describe waters becoming bitter (8:11) and John eating the scroll which started out sweet but became bitter in his stomach (10:9-20). What a perfect picture of this word as it relates to our verse today.

Husbands, are you sick of your wife? Now, before you answer that, what has made you sick or bitter towards her? I am willing to bet it is because of your expectations of her that she did not meet. You probably even think you have the right to be bitter or harsh with her. And that’s where you are wrong! You have no such right.

The Lord gives husbands a command today in this verse. The verb pikrainó is written in that way. We know if the Lord gives a command, we are supposed to obey it, right? The Lord doesn’t just drop hints. Stop the bitterness. Respond to her with love instead and see what happens.

O Lord, give me a sweet taste in my mouth every time I see my spouse.

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Bible, Family, Husbands, Scripture, Subjection, Submission, Wives

GODLY SUBJECTION

COLOSSIANS 3:18

“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Boy, oh boy! This is not something you hear a lot today. Women subjecting themselves to their husbands? Are you kidding me? Aren’t we all equal? If you think about it, we are all subject to someone. I am subject to my boss. I am subject to the donors who support my ministry. I am subject to my church. I am subject, most of all, to God.

Paul discusses roles and relationships in the remainder of chapter 3. These verses are almost exactly what he wrote to the Ephesians in Ephesians chapters 5 and 6. Describing biblical roles in families is not sexist. It’s not chauvinistic. It’s not biased toward one person over another. It’s just the way God planned for us to function in families and communities.

APPLICATION

Men, before you get all high and mighty about this verse, ask yourself this question. Am I a man to whom a godly woman would want to subject herself to? Paul is going to the men in the next verse, so hang on. But we men need to prepare ourselves to be “subject worthy.”

In Ephesians 5:21-24, we read this, “21 and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”

Most any God-fearing, God-loving woman would willingly submit herself to a man who is subjecting himself to Christ. That can be trusted. That’s a man whom she can feel secure in trusting. Do you know many men like that? I do. They love God much more than they love their wives. Wives really do love that. So, wives subject yourself to that kind of man.

Father, thank You that we can subject ourselves to You.

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Bible, Scripture, Thankfulness, Words, Works

WHATEVER YOU DO

COLOSSIANS 3:17

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

One of the best things my dad taught me was a strong work ethic. I had my first job as a young boy mowing neighborhood yards with my brother. Those jobs began my savings account which allowed me to buy my first car (Oh, I loved that car). I watched my dad work two and sometimes three jobs to provide for us. He never complained. He just worked hard.

But Paul isn’t just talking about working hard. He is talking about everything we do. What does not show in the New American Standard Bible is the conjunction kai which means “and.” That connects this verse back to verses 15 and 16. Reread those verses and then read today’s verse again with the “and” at the beginning. The peace of Christ and the Word of Christ will guide you to do “everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

APPLICATION

In 1 Corinthians 10:31 we read, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.” You see, everything we do as believers of Christ is to point to God, to give glory to Him. Nothing else really matters. I love when an athlete makes a great play and then points upward. The recent Super Bowl champs’ coach gave all praise to Jesus when interviewed after the game. Glory to God!

Proverbs 16:3 tells us, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (NIV). So, this isn’t just a New Testament thought. It goes back much further. God’s people are to honor Him in whatever they say or do. Why? Because the lost world is watching. They see everything we do. One mistake and it makes the front page news. Satan loves to point out our mistakes, our sins.

So, live in such a way that you are always aware of giving God the glory for your words and deeds. Then you will be able to give “thanks through Him to God the Father.” That is our goal. That is our purpose. Give Him glory and thank Him for all He does in and through us.

I am so thankful, Lord, for the strength You give me to honor You in all I do or say.

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Admonished, Bible, Christ, Scripture, Teaching, Thankfulness

TEACH AND ADMONISH

COLOSSIANS 3:16

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

Don’t you just hate it when someone tries to “school” you or admonish you? It takes some thick skin sometimes to accept that. Depending on who is doing the schooling or admonishing it can be even harder. If that person does it out of spite or in a condescending way, we may respond back negatively. Let’s see what Paul says about this in today’s verse.

The key for Paul (and us) is the first part of the verse – “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” If you don’t have this, you will teach and admonish in the wrong way and receive it wrongly as well. It won’t be centered on His Word or Will. But look what happens if you do. You will sing and praise the Lord. That’s the last part of this verse.

APPLICATION

The Greek word for “teaching” is didaskó. HELPS Word Studies says this about didaskó. “In the NT didáskō (‘teach’) nearly always refers to teaching the Scriptures (the written Word of God). The key role of teaching Scripture is shown by its great frequency in the NT, and the variety of word-forms (cognates).”

“Admonishing” is the Greek word noutheteó. It is “used in the New Testament to describe the act of admonishing or warning someone with the intent of correcting behavior or beliefs. It involves a gentle but firm guidance, often with a moral or spiritual focus, aiming to bring about positive change. This term is used in the context of Christian teaching and pastoral care, where the goal is to nurture spiritual growth and maturity.” (Strong’s Lexicon).

Is that how you teach and admonish? Is that how you are taught or admonished? Let us all focus on the Word of Christ to richly dwell within us so we can teach and admonish in that manner. No matter what you think, you have not learned it all yet. No one has arrived. Receive and give to please the Lord.

Lord God, help me give and receive teaching and admonishment in the manner Jesus would have.

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Bible, Peace, Rules, Scripture, Submission

LET PEACE RULE

COLOSSIANS 3:15

“Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.”

As I write this blog, I am watching snow fall here in Knoxville. There isn’t anything much more peaceful than a slow snowfall. I know, I know – I’m a snow novice. We don’t get much here. But when it does fall, I love to sit and watch it with the gas logs burning and reading a good book.

Paul speaks of the “peace of Christ” today and says it should “rule” in our hearts. That word “rule” is the Greek word brabeuó which only occurs right here in the New Testament. Martin Luther said, “Let it be master and keep you in all tribulation.” Look at this explanation I found in another commentary. “…if the peace of Christ be your umpire ruling in your hearts, your reward is sure. ‘Let the peace of Christ act as umpire when anger, envy, and such passions arise; and restrain them.’ Let not those passions give the award, so that you should be swayed by them, but let Christ’s peace be the decider of everything.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

APPLICATION

So, what does it mean for peace to rule your heart? Well, for one, you can’t blow your top in traffic, no road rage. Peace has to restrain our minds and our actions. I have seen too many church meetings that showed no sign of peace. How terrible! How dishonoring of Christ Who came to bring us peace.

I am reminded of His words in John 14:27. “‘Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.’” If Christ came to give us peace and we don’t exercise that peace, isn’t that grievous to Him? It’s a spurned gift. No one likes that.

In John 16:33 we are told by Jesus, “‘These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.’” Christ’s peace does not promise us a bed of roses. He says we will have troubles. But His peace can triumph over it all. Live in peace today.

It is well with my soul, it is well, it is well, with my soul.

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Bible, Bound, Safety, Scripture

GOD’S GLUE

COLOSSIANS 3:14

“In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

Elmer’s glue has been around since 1947. Did you know that? Originally it was produced under the Borden label and was made from a byproduct of milk production. That’s pretty cool, huh? It changed over the years and has been a mainstay of many schoolteachers through the decades. How many children did arts and crafts with Elmer’s glue?

Although Elmer’s is good, God’s glue is better. Look at today’s verse. Paul tells us to “put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” The Greek word for “bond” is sundesmos and is only used four times in the New Testament. We will look at some of those in a minute. Paul wanted us to know that as we put on the new heart, we also should put on this love glue. We need to be closely connected.

APPLICATION

In Acts 8:23, sundesmos refers to the bondage of iniquity which Peter said Simon the magician was in. In Ephesians 4:3, it is the bond of peace. Earlier in Colossians 2:19 we saw it used to describe ligaments that bind us together in our growth in God. And here it is the bond of unity. What a wide range of definitions and usages. Sundesmos comes from syn (that inseparable “with”) and deo (to bind). So, it means to be bound closely.

What had you preferred to be bound to – iniquity or unity? Hmmm. I choose unity. I choose peace. I want some of God’s glue, that super glue, that supernatural glue. He joins us in His Spirit with that glue. He binds believer’s together with that glue. God is always about bringing us closer to Him.

One day death will separate us physically from our loved ones. Sometimes that happens way too early. However, if we are one in the Spirit, we will never be separated eternally. I am getting to the age that I am starting to have more family and friends on the other side than I have here. We are bound together with God’s glue. Are you?

Father, thank You for Your supersize tube of glue that never runs out and will never lose its grip on me.

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