In the book of Colossians (chapter 13), the apostle Paul offers the people of Colosse a five-step strategy to help them live for God daily. Each step is a beautiful outline of living a hope-filled, Jesus-centered life that we can still use today.

#1 Have a forgiving heart, as Christ did

Colossians 3:12-13, Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 

Forgiveness. Why does that word oftentimes make people cringe? Forgiveness is hard. And uncomfortable.

I *think* I forgive my brother for chest bumping me and sending me (doing backward somersaults) down a flight of stairs.

I also *think* my mom has forgiven me for flushing my baby brother’s cloth diaper down the toilet.

Silly examples, I know, but who do you need to forgive today?

#2 Fill your heart with love

Colossians 3:14, Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

In Matthew 22:37, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord, followed closely by loving your neighbors. So basically, show love to everyone. There really is no better way to live a Jesus-centered life than loving others.

So what does loving your neighbors look like? It doesn’t have to be your actual neighbors (but it certainly can be). You can show love to someone by paying for the Starbucks order behind you in the drive-thru. You can show love to someone by holding the door for them. You can show love to someone by offering a hug instead of a handshake at church (probably a good idea to know the recipient if you do this). Or a simple smile to anyone or everyone.

#3 Practice gratitude and live a peaceful life

Colossians 3:15, And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Practicing gratitude is something I’ve been working diligently on in the last two years. When you regularly stop and reflect on your life, you will recognize that you have so much to be thankful for! Even in the worst of times, there will always be at least one thing to be thankful for.

If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that can automatically go on your list every day!

I highly recommend starting a gratitude journal that you write in every day. Also, read Ann Voskamp’s “A Thousand Gifts”, it’s a great book to read to start to begin living a life of gratitude.

#4 Keep God’s Word in you at all times

Colossians 3:16, Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to recite a memorized Bible verse or sing a hymn to your friends to solve their problems (I didn’t say you couldn’t…you just don’t have to).

What you want to do is speak to people as Jesus did. And how do you know how Jesus spoke to people? Study the Bible. Meditate in it. Spend time in it. Even if you’re not reciting a verse from Matthew 12, if you’ve spent time there, you’re soaking up the information.

Your conversations won’t necessarily come out as a memorization, but you will be able to speak to people from the knowledge you’ve acquired from your studies. How does God speak to people? In love. In truth. In the mindset of eternity.

#5 Let your light shine as a representative of Jesus

Colossians 3:17, And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

This final strategy is a perfect summary of the four above. Let your light shine in forgiveness, love, gratitude, and knowing God’s word.

I love the mission statement at my church, Lutheran Church of Hope. “Reach out to the world around us and share the everlasting love of Jesus Christ!” How powerful is that?

This summer at vacation bible school, I was teaching with a friend. In a few of the sessions, my friend led the group by asking the kids to say the mission statement with her. There’s nothing like hearing a large group of kids yelling these words. Goosebumps! Let your light SHINE!

You don’t have to execute all five of these strategies all of the time. No one is perfect. Maybe start with one or two.

I love a good Sharpie tattoo to remember things like this.

What strategy will you be focusing on this week?

Until Next Time,

Neko