GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
I am away from the internet for a few days. Please accept these three devotions for today, Friday and Saturday.
COLOSSIANS 1:10
10 so that you might lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.
Notice that verse 10 isn’t the beginning of a sentence. In the Greek text, there is almost no break in this sentence from verse 9 all the way to verse 12. There are lots of commas, but for the most part, this is one thought. The main verb was back in verse 9, “that you may be filled.” The translator chooses to reduce the complex structure into sentences, and he begs the reader’s forgiveness (“the translator is a traitor” is an old Italian saying), but we’ll try to follow Paul’s thought process.
Here, bearing fruit and growing in knowledge are important points. They show how we might lead “a life worthy of the Lord.” Surely a little child who is baptized is worthy in the Lord’s sight—worthy of eternal life, through Christ. And yet that little child is not accomplishing everything the Lord has planned for the kingdom. We all are part of the body of Christ, and he is the Head of that body. We keep growing in our knowledge of his word, and we keep bearing fruit in our good works.
The subject of good works is an important doctrine. In this verse, the Christian life and a Christian’s goods works are both modified by the Greek word pan, “all, each, every.” We can’t approach the subject of good works by saying “Whose life is pleasing to God in every way? Who bears fruit in every good work?” If we do, we will begin to compare ourselves to other sinners, and having a reached some mental plateau of holiness with thinks “I’m better than that guy,” we will not strive for anything else. But God wants us to grow, to increase, to succeed; to bear fruit in every way, young or old (Psalm 92:14).
The problem is that Christians are not completely holy in this world, but we are still infected with the Old Adam right until we enter the grave. So there is a struggle in us between the spirit and the flesh, the inner (spiritual) human who delights in God’s law, and the fleshly human who wars against God’s law.
Good works are a necessary part of the Christian life. They are valuable because they come from faith. “Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23), and “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Good works are performed according to whatever strength and ability the Christian has been given by God: “Out of her poverty, she put in all she had to live on,” Luke 21:4. Good works serve the glory of God, and externally, they prove justification (that we are saved Christians).
Good works are not necessary in order for someone to be saved, but they follow naturally—like inhaling after exhaling, like a belch after a good meal, or like saying “I love you, too” after being told you are loved.
Sinful deeds and even sinful thought can destroy faith, and so they are to be fought against rather than indulged. Sometimes sinful deeds can masquerade as seemingly good (Nehemiah 6:17), but if they don’t come from faith, they are not good in God’s eyes. “You sacrifices do not please me,” Jeremiah 6:20. The Devil wants us to “take a break” from our faith from time to time, but don’t forget that the Devil is never your friend. Sin contaminates the body and the soul alike. “Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).
John warned his church in simple terms: The requirement of God is to believe in Christ and to love one another (1 John 3:23-24), and so we must test the spirits “to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Strive to please God in the things you do, beginning with the words you use, and the thoughts you dwell upon in your heart. Let the word of God fill you up, and respond by putting his word first. That will certainly mean putting your own desires second—or even lower down, as you serve the needs of the people around you. Don’t ever let yourself be ashamed of needing sleep, or water, or bread, or love. But God will supply your needs as you supply the needs of others. Remember that a life worthy of the Lord is a life that acknowledges Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
COLOSSIANS 1:11
11 And we pray that you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience,
We must read this verse carefully. Whose might, whose power, is proclaimed? Not ours, not even after the gift is received. God strengthens us because he is omnipotent. He does not, by strengthening us, make us omnipotent. So when we overhear Paul pray that we might be strengthened with all power, we must not be misled to believe that God has given his almightiness to us. What he gives us is everything necessary to carry out the good works he has prepared for us to do. He does this through his word with all of its holy power.
Knowing this, we use the Gospel to motivate everything we do, and we use the Law as our guide, to know what is and is not the will of God. We don’t live up to his perfection, but he accepts what we do as truly good on account of Christ. Like the scribbles of children are our greatest good works before God! So meditate on his law, and consider how beautiful is the path of his commandments:
Have no other gods.
When at last a man knows no help
his trust in God is enough.
Do not misuse his name.
Praise God by his holy name
whether you pray, preach, tell, or sing.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Run to the house of the Lord
as you run to his holy word.
Do not eat a crumb or drink a drop
until you have fed the soul of your child.
Honor your Father and Mother.
Submit to your master
as to your own loving Father.
Do not murder.
Love the life of a man
whether your enemy’s or your own.
Do not commit adultery.
Sooner cut off your arm
than bruise your wife.
Better half a room with a loving wife
than a palace with Solomon’s harem.
Do not steal.
Use and take care of every gift God gives
and teach your neighbor to do the same.
Balance your books
for you manage the Lord’s gifts.
Do not give false testimony about your neighbor.
Protect the name of the Lord
and the name of your neighbor;
no man needs to be told to protect his own name.
Do not covet your neighbor’s house.
No man owns his jacket or his shirt
but faith in Christ we truly possess.
Everything you have is a gift from God
land, house, position, and breath.
Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, workers, or animals.
No man owns a living being
but those living in your neighbor’s care
are your neighbor’s concern.
Help him if you can.
After studying the word of God, there is still more work to be done. You may need to work on patience with a difficult spouse: Be bold every day to ask: How can I show my love to my wife? You may need to deepen your understanding when it comes to a needy co-worker: Love the life of a man, whether your enemy’s or your own. Or you may need to increase your self-control when it comes to a temptation that has been nagging you: Rather sleep barefooted on thistles than tread close to temptation. But God will supply what you need, even if something is lacking in your faith (1 Thess. 3:10). Trust in him, and let his word do the work in your life.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
COLOSSIANS 1:12
joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us for a share of the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
There is some dispute about whether “joyfully” should be read with this clause or with the one in verse 11. The current UBS Greek text (5th Edition) places the punctuation and “joyfully” in the way that the translation is presented here.
Although it might be natural to take “the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light” as a reference to heaven (so The Lutheran Commentary, p. 208), and this is a likely interpretation, it’s possible that Paul is also talking about the present lifetime. The phrase comes from the Old Testament, when the land of Canaan was divided between the tribes (Numbers 26:52-56).
The struggle in Colosse was partly with some kind of primitive Gnosticism. That was a religion that made special knowledge the key to life. Knowledge was what set you apart—the difference between a life lived in darkness (or ignorance) and one lived in light (knowledge). Paul asserts that our life in the kingdom of light is all about being qualified by God the Father, not by anything within us. This is why we “joyfully give thanks,” because God is one who has brought us into his family.
Paul had learned enough about the false teaching to be able to put his finger on what was wrong. Epaphras must have identified it as not in agreement with “the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching” (1 Timothy 6:3). They knew that the only course of action was to keep teaching the Colossians the truth of God’s word. Only in questioning is false teaching exposed; only with the word of God is false teaching refuted.
A “share” is a merida (μερίδα), like the double share given to Hannah, Samuel’s mother (1 Sam. 1:5). A merida can also be a share of a king’s servants (Esther 2:5), a portion of land (Joshua 15:13), a priest’s share of an offering (Lev 6:17), or the spiritual portion given to Mary, Martha’s sister (Luke 10:41). This last share or portion is what Paul is talking about here—whether in this life among the saints or the portion we will have through Christ in heaven (John 14:2).
We have a picture of this in our church on Christmas Eve. Small new candles are passed out to everyone who comes to the service, young and old alike. As the service progresses, the lights in the church are dimmed, and late in the service, acolytes (young men) come down the aisles with lighted tapers and light the candles of the congregation, which serve as the light during the prayers and the final hymn. We all have our share, and each share is the same—it is the light. The light of the Son of God illuminates us all. “The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us” (Psalm 118:27); “Let us walk in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5).
His light guides our lives here and hereafter.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota