“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” - Colossians 3:16
I would like to highlight two words from this verse of scripture; message and gratitude. What is the message of Christ? From a layman’s perspective it is the following: it is peace, forgiveness, love, mercy, grace and hope. It is much more than that, but those are some of the key elements of Christ’s message. He came in love and peace and administered them liberally to all He came in contact with. He showed mercy and grace to all He encountered. He dispensed forgiveness to those who sought Him out and as a result of that forgiveness gave each one hope. This message is to resonate throughout our homes, our churches, our communities, our regions and our world. It does in small measure, but it can be more than it is.
In this verse the word ‘as’ implies that we are going to actively do two things: 1) teach and 2) warn or reprimand one another with scripture. This is what we use our Sunday school classes for. We also spend time in Bible Studies doing that same thing. It is in recognition of the wisdom and value we find in the Bible itself. We are to learn from its’ pages. We are to do as it says. Why else would it be given to us? Some say it cannot be trusted because of the potential for improper interpretation. I say I have found no one as trustworthy or believable as Almighty God and I have chosen to trust Him and the bible as His word rather than find reasons not to.
We should have unbridled joy and gratitude in our hearts for all God has done for us as genuine believers. If we truly have a relationship with Him we should embrace our calling as His ambassador. Gratitude doesn’t simply mean to be thankful, it means “to be ready to show appreciation and return kindness”.* It’s usually pretty simple to say ‘thank you’, but to be ready to return the kindness, that is another story. It requires deep appreciation and a willing heart. It requires us to step out of ourselves and our self-made comfort zones and reach out. God didn’t have to say and do all that He did. It was for our benefit, not His. So let us allow the message of Christ to permeate our souls so that we may live our lives with true and abiding gratitude in our hearts. Let this motivate us to live our lives for His glory and not our own.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!
* www.oxforddictionaries.com
