Colossians 4:5

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Colossians 4:5 

“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.” – Colossians 4:5

Paul here is encouraging the Church to be wise in their dealings with non-Christians.  What he means by this is we are to conduct ourselves upright and honestly with them.  For if we do not, the unbeliever may have an occasion to reproach or speak negatively regarding Christianity.  The Church in Colossae was surrounded by pagans who served their own gods rather than the true God.  Therefore, we must act with prudence and propriety toward them; and there is perhaps mot a more important idea in the New Testament than this, for if we do not act wisely, we could destroy any opportunity to speak the truth to them and show them the reality of the gospel of Christ.

So, we must be careful how we approach them.  First, it is important to understand that people in the world judge religion not based on the profession of a believer, but from the life of its followers.  Regarding religion, people are looking for reality more than just talk.  They judge religion not from preaching or  books, or from the conduct of its Founder and his followers, but from what they see in the daily walk and conversation of the members of the church.  Do we walk the walk, or simply talk the talk?  Many who are in other religions understand what religion is about, and why people believe them.  They do this so well that they know when church goers are or are not consistent with their profession.

Unbelievers will set a much higher value on honesty and integrity than on the doctrines and practices.  and if the professing Christians are destitute of the principles of truth and honesty, they will believe they have nothing of any value. They may be very devout in church; very regular at prayer-meetings; very strict in the doing of Christian things – but all these are of little worth in the estimation of the world, unless attended with an upright life.

The most important calling we have is to go out and proclaim the gospel to all the world.  And in the process making disciples of Christ.  “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.  It is important that we go out and show the world the truth of the gospel for the times are getting short and more evil.  “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16.  We can go out and share the gospel all day long, however, if they have seen us doing evil while calling ourselves Christians, or if we have participated with unbelievers in sinful acts while professing faith in Christ, we may have destroyed any opportunity to help them be saved.  And worse, they may never listen to any Christian present the gospel because of what they remember.

Our enemy, the devil, is always looking for ways to diminish our impact to a lost world of unbelievers.  And he will do all he can to make this happen.  “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9.  Let us not destroy the light we shine in a dark world that need to come to Christ by foolish and sinful activities that destroy our witness to those who need us.  What happened before our salvation can be explained and understood.  But it is far different for deeds done after our salvation when we profess Jesus as Lord.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Colossians 4:2

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Colossians 4:2  

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” – Colossians 4:2 

One of the things we need to always remember is in order to be effective in what we do for God, we must persevere in prayer.  This was Paul’s general advice to all Christians.  No matter what God calls us to, we must always stay in communication with Him.  And prayer should not be limited to what we are doing, but for all who are doing God’s work.  Paul continues with the following.  “praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.” Colossians 4:3-4.  And this word is not limited by Paul to the Colossians, but he also said the same thing to the Ephesians.  “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:18-20.

The main idea here is that we do not neglect prayer but continue earnestly in it.  We are to be in such a frame of mind that we are ready at any moment to pray, either publicly or privately.  Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, succinctly writes, “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  This takes it a step further.  It is important to remember that prayer is a two-way communication.  We must always be ready to not only speak to God, but also to hear from God. 

I remember a time I was speaking with a young man I met in north Miami who had left his home and moved in with someone who got him to become hooked on some serious drugs.  This destroyed his relationship with his family, especially his father.  While driving him to his apartment, I was praying while talking with him.  I spent several hours that night walking on the beach with him, discussing why he left home and left Jesus.  I did not have all the words, but God directed me in this conversation and I got him to promise to go home to his father and begin going back to church.  Since I was in the air force, I could not stay in contact with him,  but a year later, God brought him back to my mind, so I asked Him to show me how he was doing.  I was the sound man for a Christian rock band and that afternoon we were playing at a park in Miami.  We were setting up our equipment when all of a sudden this young man was running up to me.  It was the one I had spoken to a year earlier.  He had gone home that next morning and his father and him settled their differences and their relationship became solid again.  Also, He was attending Coconut Grove Baptist Church and was strengthening his relationship with God.  I rejoiced for some time after this, thanking God for showing me this wonderful news.

Prayer is absolutely essential in our Christian walk.  And, using a phrase a pastor friend once said, ‘not that we have to, but because we get to.’  Fellowship with Almighty God is one of the many blessings He has given to us.  We must, as our focus verse says, devote ourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.  And even if we do not know what to pray for, we have a helper to assist.  “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27.  He knows our hearts and understands what our needs are and is there to meet them.

In closing, Paul is telling us to  be devoted to prayer and fellowshipping with God.  We are to keep watch and not fall into error but remain alert to God’s ways.  And we are to be thankful that we have a God who wants to hear from us, meet our needs, and speak to us as well.  And we are to pray for all who are doing the work of God throughout the world, that they will succeed in what God is calling them to do.  And again, always be alert to hear from Him as well.  Who better to give us the knowledge we need to affectively do His will.  Rely on Him for everything.  He is faithful in all ways.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Colossians 1:10

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Colossians 1:10 

“So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” – Colossians 1:10 

The idea in our focus verse is that Christians should walk in a manner that pleases God.  It seems that pagans followed this and had the idea inscribed throughout the provinces of Asia. F.F. Bruce in his commentary on Colossians wrote the following, “If pagans appreciated the importance of rendering worship which was worthy of the deities whose votaries (a person, such as one devoted to the worship of their god, who has made vows of dedication to religious service) they were, much more should Christians render the spiritual service of obedient lives to the living and true God and to His Son Jesus Christ.”  Our hearts, as Christians, should be focused on pleasing the one who gave His life for us, that we might be saved and receive eternal life with God. 

As our verse above says, we must strive to please the Lord in all things.  This does not mean, as obviously stated, that we do this in certain cases, such as during church services or fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  These are the easy things.  What he is saying is in all things, including when we are joking around with friends or going out with them for an evening.  We are to be pleasing to the Lord when in Church, but also during all other times as well.  We must constantly strive to stay away from those things that dishonor God and focus on those things that bear fruit for Him.  I have seen many instances where several Christians have come together and the conversation has drifted to subjects that are improper and should never be discussed; jokes being told that involve indecent activities or words.  And there is to be no weighing of the activities, ensuring that the good stuff outweigh the bad stuff. 

Also, it says that we are to bear fruit in every good work.  John wrote that the way to bear good fruit is to abide in Christ, and Him in you.  “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:4-5.  If Jesus abides in us, and we listen to Him, Colossians 1:10 becomes a regular thing in our lives.  And a couple more verses down, we read this, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:8.  So, by combining the verses, we see that if we walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all ways and  bearing much fruit, then we will glorify our Father in Heaven.  And by this we “prove to be Jesus’ disciple.   

And one final thought.  By living a life that pleases God in full view of the lost in our times, we can be a witness of the reality of Christianity and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Let us say we are in church and a visitor comes in and sees us praying, singing to God and lifting our hands in worship.  Then a couple days later they observe us in a situation where cursing and acting in ways that are not pleasing to God.  Will this affect them?  Probably, but not in a positive way.  They would probably think we do not believe what we say we do, for we do not live it outside of the church.  By these actions, we may have turned someone away from accepting Christ, and I am very confident that God would not be pleased with that.  It is absolutely important that we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord 100% of the time; no matter where we are or who we are with.  For if we are not, than how can we bear good fruit?  And if someone sees us acting unchristian like, how can they believe our message? 

So, I want to encourage us all, as Paul lays out so clearly, to  walk in a manner that is pleasing to God, bearing much good fruit, in all respects.  People watch us, especially those who are looking for reality in what we profess in both our words and actions.  When we walk in this manner, God is pleased with us because we are bearing much fruit.  But we cannot do this if God is not in us, helping us bear much fruit for Him.  For in Him, we are “strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:11-14.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Colossians 3:12

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Colossians 3:12 

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” – Colossians 3:12

Paul starts with telling the Colossians they have changed from the ways of the world to the ways of God.  “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:9-11.  They are not the same persons they were prior to becoming Christians.  They have put on the new self, ones who have abandoned the ways of the world with all the evils that were the norm of their old lives.  For they have put on the new self that comes with accepting the salvation Christ presented and have become a totally different person.  They are not who they used to be.

Paul then moves forward with this idea by saying, in our focus verse, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12.  The idea of the word “So” is “Therefore”.  He is telling them they have been saved and are now Christians, they should therefore live as such.  Because they have chosen to accept Christ as Savior, have put on Christ, it is essential that they show forth the attributes that signify this change.  They cannot put on the new life without living it, because this change is not by name only, that is they are Christians as opposed to not being a Christians.  Paul is laying out what putting on the new self actually means.  He lists five attributes that show the reality of this change in how they deal with their fellow men and women, whether they be Christians or not.

First, there is compassion.  This is an inward, tender and real mercy shown to all men.  It is doing good in  providing for the real needs we see, either in providing goods or in showing love and encouragement to them.  Next is kindness, showing love and mercy with cheerfulness to all men.  Third is humility, in essence looking at others more highly then ourselves, putting others before ourselves.  Then gentleness, or meekness, which shows itself in not being envious of what others have or what they can do.  And finally, patience.  This is probably the most difficult of the five.  This is bearing the evil words or actions of another and is not easily provoked to wrath or anger themselves.

He them goes on in verse thirteen with, “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” Colossians 3:13.  These are important qualities that go along with our focus verse in showing how Christians should be.  All of these acts in verses 12 and thirteen, should be expressed no matter what has occurred.  They should be universally acted out, no matter what has occurred by whoever.  This is especially true though in  our interactions with fellow Christians.  Note the words in the above verse, bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, just as the Lord forgave us.  Paul told the Corinthians the following, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1.  Paul was saying, follow my ways where I follow Christ’s ways. 

This should be our focus in this life, do as Christ did.  And the only way we can do this is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit that resides in us.  It is hard sometimes to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient with others.  It can also be difficult to bear with another and forgive when a serious wrong is done against us.  However, this is our calling in Christ.  Nobody ever said this life was easy, but it is what we are called to.  We are to reach out to a lost world, and how better to do that than to be loving to them, showing them the better life God has promised us by our actions and words of grace.  And no matter how difficult it gets, God will be with us, just as He was with the Israelites while journeying to the promised land.  And these words Moses spoke to all of Israel as he tells them He will not be crossing the river Jordan with them are applicable to us today.  “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6. No matter what God calls us to do, He will be with us all the way.  And He is calling us to live a pure and holy life as outlined in Colossians 3:12-14.  And also the word of Paul to the Colossians to comfort them, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body: and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:15-17,

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Colossians 2:10

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Colossians 2:10 

“And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” – Colossians 2:10

Here is a Verse in your Bible that probably most Christians do not take to heart and understanding.  I would think that most in Christendom approach being ‘complete’ in God’s eyes based on how well one’s behavior is and how many ‘right’ things we do as compared to the ‘bad’ things we do.   (WE use a sliding scale too, by the way, by comparing ourselves to others).   But in Christ are fulfillment is grounded in what He has done, not we do from here forward.  What kind of depth is this Verse saying to us for our daily lives?   Could it affect how we approach a day, challenges or not?    Some of the commentary writers I read just to see what they would say conclude that this Verse is speaking metaphorically (not to be taken literally) – that this language is of course rhetorical and hyperbolical language used by Paul.  In other words, it does not really mean what it says at face value but instead it is supposed to convey the idea that in Christ you have been granted a completeness or fulfillment in life that you could not receive anywhere else.  In other words, being in Christ is the best option you have compared to all the other options.   Uuummm.   If you make some Google searches on this subject asking the question: “What can make your life feel complete or fulfilled?”, you will NOT run across this Scripture Verse as an option or as an alternative choice that you can decide for yourself if you so please.   What you WILL find in your Google search are answers such as:  1)  Four principles to live by;  2)  The 16 most important factors for a fulfilling life;  3)  1O Rules to make your life complete; and so on and so on. 

Let us see instead what the author of your Bible says.  First of all, there are 2 little words in this Verse that is fundamentally foundational and an absolute in order for this concept of being ‘complete’ can be remotely a possibility.  They are the words ‘…in Him…’.    In order for an individual to be considered ‘in Him’, they must come to an understanding on the heart level that they are sinners and that the wages of being a sinner is death (spiritual and physical).  Plus, you can do nothing on your own to remedy this condition.  You DO need an outside source to ‘save’ you. After all, you are ‘dead’ and a ‘dead person’ cannot do anything for oneself.   “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death….” (Rom 6:23).   “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for the by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20).   Secondly, an individual must appropriate by faith the finished and completed death of Christ on the Cross, His burial, and Resurrection after three days.  By faith a person must truly believe that Christ died for them, that Christ alone paid the penalty for their sin and that He took the punishment for their own sinfulness out of His individual love for them.  When we truly believe this good news of this grace-gospel the Holy Spirit places us, immerses us, ‘baptizes us’ into one body – His Body, the grace-aged church -“And He is the head of the body, the church…” (Col 1:18) – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit (I Cor 12:13).   Our entire newly created personhood is placed IN HIM.   ALL of our identification as a newly created, saved individual is seen through God’s eyes as being ‘in Him’ – in Jesus.  “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight – “ (Col 1:21-22).  

                Sooooo, IF you are ‘in Him’, THEN in the mind of God through Jesus, you ARE complete, and this FACT is affirmed by the Death, Burial, and bodily Resurrection of Christ, who NOW is the ‘head of ALL principality and power” (Col 2:10 above).   No one nor any thing on earth, nor in the heavens, can undermine what He has done for you.   In my opinion, there is absolutely zero metaphorical, rhetorical, hyperbolic language used here. This is FACT.  It is an exchanged life.  “In Him” you ARE complete, not just in a concept or as flowery language, but as a reality.   The Greek word used here for ‘complete’ is a word that means “filled to the brim like a bottle of water, completely full, filled-up, whole, to the max”!     He has done for you ALL that will ever need to do in reconciling you in right-standing with Himself.  The following verses in Colossians 2 mention some of the aspects of this completeness in Christ that we have been given.  The sins of the flesh have been cut off (circumcised by the hand of God, taken out of the way and nailed to the Cross), you were buried ‘with Him’, you were raised ‘with Him’, you were ‘made alive with Him’, and ‘in Him’ He forgave you all your trespasses once and forever!   You ARE complete ‘in Him’.  Rejoice and be ever thankful!!

Jaca Kier, Board Member, True Devotion Ministries, Inc. 

Colossians 3:14

Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 3:14 

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” –  Colossians 3:14

This verse is basically at the heart of the Christian faith.  Going back a few verses, we see how we are to be toward others.  “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”  Colossians 3:12-13.  Paul first tells  them they were called of God to be His.  This had been, in times past, only spoken of the Jews.  The scribes, pharisees, and other leaders believed they were the only ones chosen to be God’s people.  Paul encourages them that these leaders were wrong, for God has called them also to be His. 

And because they, as well, were chosen by God to be His people, they must love all as God does.  They are to be merciful to others.  The idea of the phrase ‘put on’ in verse 12 is that we are not simply to act as if we are merciful, but we are to truly be merciful to all.  In all cases of this kind, we are to, as Adam Clarke put so well, let our heart dictate to our hands.  We must act to help those in need because of true compassion we have for them.  It should not be out of self-aggrandizement, but because we genuinely care for their predicament.  We should absolutely love all, and desire to help those who cannot, at this time, help themselves.  He then lists characteristics that should be exhibited, those being compassion and kindness.  We need to be humble, knowing that we could find ourselves in their position.  And we are to be patient and gentle, showing that we care about them and want to help.

He then goes on to say we should forgive others who wrong us.  This is a true showing of our love for them.  It is a difficult experience to be hurt by another.  It can be difficult to endure at times.  I remember when I experienced this at a former work place.  The company brought in a project manager to oversee a major overhaul of our financial applications.  He was not an easy person to work with, and once he reported to my direct supervisor something wrong  I had not actually done.  I received a call from her asking me what had happened.  Afterwards, I went to him personally letting him know what actually occurred and He called her to clarify.  Now, I will not say I was perfect in this, however, I told him I forgave him and we moved on.  However, I believe God used this to help me learn how to address problems like this.

Then, in our focus verse, Paul says, “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”  Colossians 3:14.  Again, we see the term ‘put on’ used.  We are to genuinely love our brothers and sisters, as well as those who are not yet saved, and not just put on a show.  False love tends to make itself known and will show itself in disunity.  Peter put it this way.  “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:8-9.  The world is watching us.  They will know when our love is genuine.  They will also know when it is not.  Therefore, let us put on genuine love and we will be able to make a vast difference in a world that that so needs to see it.    

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Colossians 3:2

Verse of the Day Devotion: Colossians 3:2 

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2         

Now that we are saved, our minds should be thinking on our new life, and not the life we have left behind.  We see what we should be focused on in the first verse in this chapter. “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1.  We need to set aside our old self, our old nature.  Paul puts it this way.  “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Ephesians 4:22-24.  If we are born again, then the old man was killed, crucified.  “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” Romans 6:5-7. 

So, this begs the question.  If our old man with its old ways is dead, then why should we set our minds on the worldly ways of our old man?  The answer is easy, we should not.  Our minds should be focused on God; what He desires from us, what we can do for Him here.  We should direct our thoughts to Christ, where He dwells and His will for us.  We should not be focusing on the things of this world such as wealth, self-honor and pleasure.  The theologian Albert Barnes in his commentary on Colossians stated, “Our affections should not be fixed on houses and lands; on scenes of fashion and gaiety; on low and debasing enjoyments.” That man, the one who’s mind was fixed on earthly pleasures and ways has died. 

We, as Christians, should love the things of God, and detest the things of this world.  Now, I am not saying we should neglect our needs here, essentially food, clothing and shelter; or we should not enjoy some things here, such as a concert or a ball game.  It is that we should not make these things the center of our life.  These are not sinful activities, except if they take precedence over the things of God.   It is sin we should not think on.  “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”  Colossians 3:5.  We must see these things as dead and no longer enticing us.  We once focused on these things, but we should not now.  We are new creatures.  We think differently, we act differently.  We used to live to satisfy ourselves, now we must live to satisfy God, and in so doing, He will satisfy us.  This is setting our minds on the things above.  This is denying the things of this world.  And I have no doubt life will be so much better when we follow the words of this verse.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.