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1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

Encouraging Words

Encouraging aspects of our Christian faith is the legacy of how it has been passed down through the ages. We believe that the fundamental and core teachings were given by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to His apostles. They were given everything needed for His Church to thrive and to succeed throughout the remainder of eternity. Through the governance model established for the Church in the very beginning, these teachings are passed from generation to generation and kept in check by the traditions and structure of the original Church and continue to this day. Scriptures are to be interpreted in this context. Heresies are to be confronted in this context. And our practices even to this day are founded in this context. When a person, or group of people, choose to break away from this foundation, they begin to lose their roots and their approval. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Personal Challenge

Everyone enjoys a savory meal, a meal that has just the right amount of spices and flavors to make your mouth water for that next bite. This is the image that comes to my mind when I read this verse. Too much salt and the morsel that touches the tongue gets spewed out. Our speech should be savory to those around us, truthful, honest, and yet filled with grace. With this kind of speech, there is no room for sarcasm or put-downs, no room for false platitudes and insincere compliments. We are to answer everyone in a way that glorifies God. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Colossians 4:2

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Personal Challenge

Prayer is one of the most powerful, and readily available, weapons in our arsenal of a godly and righteous life. Unfortunately, it is sometimes the least used. Prayer doesn’t focus on us, it focuses on God and others. Even if we are praying for a need in our own lives, by asking that God’s will be done, we are shifting from focusing on ourselves to focusing on God. He is always there for us, we need only call out to Him earnestly with vigilance and thanksgiving. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Colossians 3:23-24

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Personal Challenge

In Christianity, there is no room for doing things in a lackadaisical or nonchalant way. If we have truly given our lives over to our Lord, then we will recognize that we are no longer doing things or living our lives for ourselves but for Him. Because of this, we will desire to serve Him with our utmost ability, and then even more. If we are teaching Sunday School, we will go that extra mile to prepare our lessons so that we will glorify Him. If our job is to clean the floors after an event, we will do that to our utmost. If we are blessed with a career, we will execute it as if Jesus was the owner of the company. If we are in any kind of relationship, especially a marriage, then we will act as Christ did for His bride, the Church, and gave His life for her. Being a Christian means taking up our cross and giving our all, our entire lives, to God in everything that we do. Glory bet God!

Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Personal challenge

This passage is so packed full of wisdom for living a Godly life that it would take volumes to unpack it all. Maybe the best thing to do is to just read through it, over and over again until it starts to sink it. But here are some tidbits that I know I need to be reminded of daily. I am Supposed to put on…

Colossians 3:8-10

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Personal Challenge

Jesus told His disciples that unless we be born again we will not be able to make it into the Kingdom of heaven. This caused quite a stir amongst His disciples because they could not figure out how a person could enter back in their mother’s womb and be born again. Paul reminds us that we were born again when we were baptized into Christ and that now it is our responsibility to live the remainder of our lives putting off the old man, that old nature that practices anger, wrath, blasphemy, filthy language, and lying to one another and to spend the rest of our lives putting on the new man, the man (or woman) that is continually striving to live in the image of Christ. Once again, our salvation is not a single point in time event, but an ongoing action of growing in the image of Christ. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Colossians 3:5

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Personal Challenge

In today’s world, we look at a verse like this and tell ourselves that there is no way that we do anything like these grievous and gross sins. But is this really true? It is much easier to sin in these areas than it ever has been. It is nearly impossible to watch a movie or a television show, read a magazine, or even listen to music on the radio without being presented with an image that leads our minds to think about someone presented to us in a way that is sinful. We do not have to physically perform the act of fornication, but if we think it in our head, then Jesus said it is the same as doing it. What about uncleanness? What kind of words comes out of our mouths? Do we tell or laugh at dirty jokes? Do we enjoy putting others down or gossiping about them? Do we ever feel like chasing that person down that just cut us off and give them what they deserve? Do we desire what we do not have or spend our entire effort grasping more in life than we need? These are the members of our lives that we are to put to death daily. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Colossians 3:1-2

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day events and demands of everyday life that we become used to focusing on this life only. Paul reminds us that if we have been baptized into Christ, then we should be aggressively seeking those things of Christ, His heavenly kingdom and the promises that He has made to us. As we do this the things of this earth began to wave in both comparison to the things of heaven and in the amount of control that they have over us. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Colossians 2:6-7

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Personal Challenge

The Scriptures make it clear in so many different verses, that our salvation in Christ is not a single point in time event in our lives. We are not saved by saying some special prayer and then being done with it. Salvation is the process of Jesus working in our lives, our minds, hearts, and souls, day after day, moment after moment, until that blessed day that we leave this temporal body and join Him in His kingdom. This ongoing salvation process also requires that we are active contributors to it. Here we are admonished to walk in Christ, not just stand still, but to move forward in our relationship with Him. We are to be building up our lives in Him by prayer, reading of the Scriptures, participating in the liturgy and sacraments, and doing good works for Him. We must be actively building and establishing our faith in Him. The rest of our temporal life is to be walking in Him. Glory be to God!