Daily Meditations from John N. N. Ng'ang'a: Week of 1st-7th Nov 2010 Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus

 

Day 1

Col 3:12-14- Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

The message Paul is giving is to be accommodative. Fallen creatures that we are are prone to selfishness. We can hardly stand other peoples weaknesses despite knowing we have many weaknesses our selves.

The Christians life demands we do not live for self but for Christ who died for all man kind. Do not have a ' bed sitter' mentality. The virtues listed here, which emphasize the relations of Christians in a situation fraught with friction, reflect the character of Christ, whose example is cited (cf. 2 Cor 8:9; Matt 6:12). The virtue which sums up, gives meaning to, and cements the rest is love (Rom 13:9-10).

If we have love for all people we shall tend to accommodate their weaknesses.

Are there people you are avoidng and even others you look down on? This is not a Christian spirit.

 

Day 2

Be in fellowship..alone you go fast.. together you go far 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. The peace of Christ (RSV).

This is the peace which Christ mediates to those in union with him (cf. John 14:27; Rom 5:1). This peace is to rule in the sense of arbitrating differences that arise in the body (Bruce).

This means that you only do those things that do not bring quarrels since you want peace to rule in your fellowship. Secondly you will not do things that cause you yourself to be without peace just because they are beneficial.

However this peace must be peace of Christ. That means if someone wants you to have peace with him by doing things that do not please Christ then you are better off without that kind of peace than with it .

 

Day 3

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

The indwelling word of Christ, i.e., his teaching, should be exercises a transforming influence on a believer's life. How can you claim to have the word of Christ yet you are living the same way you lived before the word came to your heart.

It has also been the testimony of Christians from earliest times that "Christ put a song in my heart." and as you sing the songs teach or miss -teach theology. The Christmas song tells us that there were 3 wise men who visited baby Jesus, yet the bible does not have that information. We tend to believe the song rather than the bible.

And it is no exaggeration to say that songs have taught more theology to new converts than textbooks. In the Pauline church oracular utterance sometimes occurred in hymn form (1 Cor 14:15), and a number of NT passages may reflect a hymn origin (cf. Phil 2:5-11).

We should always face life conscious of God's Grace. The grace of God (Lightfoot) and the subsequent grateful attitude of the Christian should be the mark of our faith. (Moule).

 

Day 4

Col 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Every Christian should be serving the lord full time. That means we must only do that which we are called to by our master. No one is to be involved in what is not his call to..whether as a pastor or engineer.

We must live and do all things in His name. To live in the name of the Lord Jesus obviates the necessity for rules; inward motivation replaces external norms. Thus Christ's Lordship of the whole of life is expressed. His Lordship implies not only a mode of conduct but an attitude toward life: in conscious reflection upon the will of Christ, one's actions become an act of thanksgiving to Christ.

External rules, even when good, are not adequate for every situation; the 'rule' of the indwelling Christ is the only sufficient guide (cf. 1 Cor 10:31; Gal 5:18).

Having grateful hearts will result from our doing only what pleases him. When we are aware of his presence yet realize we do not deserve it , it will cause us to be grateful.

 

Day 5

Col 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them NIV .

Marriage is the best test that can show if the fruit of the spirit is ripe. Other relationships are temporary but in marriage every part of the fruit will be tested since you cannot run away from the test.

Basis of marriage relationship is what is fitting in the lord. How would God expect you to treat his daughter or son who is your spouse? The wives' submission is related to the husbands' love but conditional on what is fitting in the lord.

The husband are not to love the wife because she is lovable but because it is fitting in the lord.

The wife is not to submit if the husband qualifies but just because of her lord .The message is clear the only way to have love in marriage is when we do it just because it is fitting in the lord.

 

Day 6

Col 3:20- Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

All must honor parents but ONLY children must obey parents in All things. The child is even to gain his understanding of God's will through his parents' counsel. In a Christian family it is not proper to suggest a conflict between duty to parents and duty to God (T. K. Abbott, The Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians).

However, in the 10 commandments the term used is honor since the commandment is for even those of who are parents but our parents are still alive. We must honor them until they die.

All these must be done as Pleasing in the Lord (ASV) probably refers to obedience as motivated by love for Christ; it does not limit the child's responsibility to Christian parents.

Although in an extreme case a young person may have to choose Christ's will in opposition to that of non-Christian parents (cf. Luke 14:26), this course should be taken only after sober thought and Christian counseling.

"Don't overcorrect your children" (Phillips). The purpose of discipline is to develop a Christian man, not to produce a hangdog.