Wednesday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Colossians 3:12-15
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 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.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 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.
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
3:12–17 Putting on the Virtues of Christ. Paul calls the Colossians to a holy lifestyle, consistent with their new identity. Believers have been chosen by God and stand before him as his beloved holy ones. They are to live up to what they are in Christ.
3:13 bearing with one another. Tolerance is a virtue within the Christian community, although Paul clearly does not want the Colossians to tolerate the false teaching. forgiving each other … as the Lord has forgiven you. When wronged and betrayed, Christians are called to forgive others, even as they have been forgiven for their betrayal of Christ. See Matt. 6:12, 14–15; 18:21–22.
3:14 Above all else, Christians are called on to love one another (see 1 Corinthians 13). Binds … together may suggest that love unites all the virtues.
3:13 bearing with one another. Tolerance is a virtue within the Christian community, although Paul clearly does not want the Colossians to tolerate the false teaching. forgiving each other … as the Lord has forgiven you. When wronged and betrayed, Christians are called to forgive others, even as they have been forgiven for their betrayal of Christ. See Matt. 6:12, 14–15; 18:21–22.
3:14 Above all else, Christians are called on to love one another (see 1 Corinthians 13). Binds … together may suggest that love unites all the virtues.
Study Questions:
- As Jesus' ministry continues, we start to see two different groups of people emerge. Some are true followers, disciples of Jesus, and others are merely part of the crowd. The second takeaway from the message on Sunday was that FOLLOWERS are committed to ALLOWING. FANS are committed to HARBORING. Jesus' choice of disciples is interesting. We know he was seeking to start a new movement; a unified church body that is bound together, honors each other, forgives each other, worships together, on mission together. And yet his 12 guys couldn't be more different. The most glaring example of this is Simon, the religious zealot, and Matthew, the tax collector... these two are opposite in every way! Zealots resorted to kidnapping or even murdering Romans and Jews if they suspected them of being loyal to Rome. That means that, were it not for their common devotion to Jesus, Simon may have murdered Matthew! So then, it is truly a miracle that these guys were on mission together. Having read Colossians 3:12-15, how do you think the 12 resembled these verses? What about YOUR life and relationships? Are you constantly making allowances for each other's faults, or do you tend harbor resentment and offense?
- Unforgiveness can be a real problem if we let it. We all go through difficulties and challenges, we all get hurt by people. We are all treated unfairly. People can be brutal... even Christian people. Maybe even ESPECIALLY Christian people. It's so easy to allow bitterness to creep in and to hang on to our hurt for long periods of time... maybe even for life. The problem here is that forgiveness isn't even about the person that wronged you. It's not letting them off the hook or condoning their behavior or saying that "it's ok". It's about YOU. And it's about your relationship with God. Choosing NOT to forgive is like waking up every day and slipping the chains back onto your wrists, making a decision to continue to carry the heavy burdens that you weren't meant to carry. It also makes us stuck in our relationship with God. To truly have a rich and vibrant relationship with God, who chose to forgive you in the middle of your rebellion from him, you MUST do the same for those who have hurt you. There is much freedom found in coming out from under the oppressive weight of bitterness and unforgiveness. Who do YOU need to forgive? What past hurt is weighing you down? Is your walk with Jesus stuck in a rut? Could it be due to things from the past that need to be resolved? Ask God to search your heart, and if need be, extend forgiveness.
Pray:
- That your life and relationships would be marked with forgiveness and grace.
- That you would have the courage to forgive those who have hurt you, just like Christ forgave you.
No Comments