Redeeming The Time -
Wisdom From Colossians
1. Our Time Is Valuable
While reading through Paul's letters I noticed Colossians 4:5, "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." I thought about how Mom used to bring home S&H Green Stamps from the grocery store. My younger sisters and I would lick them and stick them in the booklet. Then we would look through the little catalog and pick out the things we wanted. I don't think we even filled the second book, and all of the items required many books to redeem them. Our small amount didn't have enough value to redeem. We have something much more valuable than those S&H Green Stamps. The Apostle Paul told the church to redeem the time. Time is something that we all have while we are living. We all wake up with 24 hours each day. After reading Colossians, I read the book again and noticed several things Paul mentioned that will help us redeem the time. Let's look at those together.
2. Walk In Wisdom
Our first thought about "Redeeming The Time" comes from our text in Colossians 4:5, "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time." Our time is very valuable, but if we waste our time away it is no more valuable than the half filled book of unused, unredeemed, S&H Green Stamps. We are exhorted to walk in wisdom. Paul gives us several more verses in Colossians that speak of wisdom. Today let's ask the Lord to help us use our time wisely.
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;" (Colossians 1:9)
"Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:" (Colossians 1:28)
"That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:2-3)
"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." (Colossians 3:16)
3. Why We Need To Redeem The Time
Before we continue with our study in the book of Colossians, I want to look at another one of Paul's letters. He gives us the reason we need to redeem the time, and he also goes back to his message of wisdom.
"15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:15-17)
The Apostle tells us to redeem the time, "because the days are evil." I have never seen a day when there was more evil in the world. I realize that part of it is because we are made aware of more with the internet and people using their cell phones to record things that go on around them. We also have access to news reports which are filled with stories of the wickedness around us. But there used to be a reverentual fear of God and I believe many in the generations coming up don't have a knowledge of the holiness and power of God. I have heard preaching from my youth up that told of the evil to come in the last days and I believe we are in those last days. We need to redeem the time because our time is short in these evil days.
"1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (II Timothy 3:1-5)
4. Give Thanks For One Another
I am thankful for Christian parents who brought me up in church. As I think about this devotional I wonder when I last prayed and thanked God for my parents... or my husband... or my children and their families. Paul opens his letter to the church at Colosse with his greeting and then he says, "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you," (Colossians 1:3) As I pray each day I try to take time to pray for my family and many of my friends. I often ask the Lord to help them with prayer requests they have shared with me. So I feel like the second part of this verse I usually do. But Paul begins with another important part of our prayer for others. He says, "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." How often do we remember to thank the Lord for those who are important in our lives? With the Thanksgiving season coming up it is a good time to give thanks for our loved ones. This was a common practice for the Apostle, as we see in more of his writing, and it would be good for us to make it a daily part of our prayer life.
"Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;" (Ephesians 1:16)
"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;... For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;" (I Thessalonians 1:2 & 3:9)
"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,..." (II Thessalonians 2:13)
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;" (I Timothy 2:1)
5. Be Filled With The Knowledge Of His Will
When I was growing up Preacher Arthur Blackburn was my pastor. Some times the Lord will bring to my mind something he said. Thinking about this devotional was one of those times. He used to say, "If you walk in the light He gives you, He'll give you more light." Our verse today is about knowing the will of God. When we follow the will of God and do what we do know, then He will show us more of His will. The Apostle Paul prayed for the church at Colosse that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will. "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;" (Colossians 1:9) Jesus taught the disciples to pray that God's will be done. "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10) This should be our prayer, too. That we will know the will of God, and do it.
6. Walk Worthy Of The Lord
When I am letting my grandchildren help me cook, I not only tell them how to do something, but I try to tell them why we do it that way, hoping it will help them remember. Last week when I asked Elsa to wash the lid of the cherries before we opened them to put them on the cake she said it before I could remind her, "Because it's dirty, right?" As we go to the next verse in Colossians I want to focus on the why today. "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;" (Colossians 1:10) Also in Ephesians 4:1 and I Thessalonians 2:12 Paul tells us to "walk worthy". Why should we walk worthy of the Lord? We can see the answer in I Timothy 1:15. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Jesus gave His life on the cross so that we might have life. He alone is worthy of our praise and we should walk worthy to His pleasing. I close with these verses from Revelation 5.
"2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
7. How We Walk Worthy Of The Lord
We live in an age of information. When I don't know how to do something, I go to GOOGLE and most of the time I can find out what I need to know, whether it's working on something or finding a recipe. Recently I have been making snowman ornaments for Christmas and I have been able to find all types of ideas online. I like "How To" sites. Since we looked at why we should walk worthy of the Lord yesterday, I want to continue with the verses and see the "How".
"10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:" (Colossians 1:10-12)
The Apostle Paul gives us several ways in these three verses that we can walk worthy of the Lord. We can be fruitful in every good work. Paul gives us the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Next, we are in increase our knowledge of God. We can do this by hearing good preaching and teaching, and also by reading the Bible and meditating on God's Word. Verse 11 tells us to get our strength from the Lord, "according to his glorous power". These steps help us grow in patience and longsuffering and gives us joy in the Lord. Finally, verse 12 reminds us again to give thanks to God. These are some pretty basic "How To" instructions on how we can "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing."
8. The Power Of God Never Fails
Our electric power flickered on and off several times with the high winds on Thursday. Many lost power because of fallen trees. My computer lost the internet connection and Michael worked a long time to restore it. I joked with him before we went to bed telling him that I needed my power restored, and maybe sleep would do it. After using Colossians 1:11 in my devotions I woke up during the night thinking about God's power. "Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;" As I lay awake in the darkness I kept thinking, "God's power never fails. His power never has to be restored. God has power over all other powers." "...For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." (Romans 13:1) He has delivered us from the "power of darkness". "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:" (Colossians 1:13) He has complete power and we are complete in Him. "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:" (Colossians 2:10) There are only a few things in life about which I can say, "I've got this." But we can be strong in the power of His might because, no matter what happens, God's got this! "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." (Ephesians 6:10)
9. Be Thankful
If I remember correctly, ever since I began the Daily Devotions, I devoted each November to being thankful. Many years I told of something I was thankful for, each day from November 1st until Thanksgiving Day. We have only been talking about "Redeeming The Time" for one week, and I want to continue our study in Colossians, but our devotional today is on being thankful. It has been an unusual and hard year, but we always have something to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is on November 26th this year. Don't wait until that Thursday to be thankful. Take time each day to give thanks to the Lord for something or someone He has put in your life. Six times in this short book Paul tells us to be thankful. It was important to him and it should be important to us.
"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you," (Colossians 1:3)
"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:" (Colossians 1:12)
"Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:7)
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Colossians 3:17)
"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" (Colossians 4:2)
10. Give Christ First Place In Your Life
God created all things, and is above all things, and we should give Him the preeminence in our lives. There is a song that was written by Micah Henson that puts everything in perspective. What a difference it would make if we all lived our lives for Christ because truly "He Is Really All That Matters."
"16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:16-18)
He Is Really All That Matters
If I could say one thing
It would be He's the best thing
If I had only one word
Jesus would be heard
If I had but one breath
I'd use it to praise Him with
For He is really all that matters
When this life is over and
I've crossed death;s cold waters
We'll see more clearly
See that really He's it
If this were my last day
I'd shout Jesus all the way
If this were my last mile
I'd spend it praising Him awhile
If I had but one breath
I'd use it to praise Him with
For He is really all that matters
When this life is over and
I've crossed death cold waters
We'll see more clearly
See that really He's it
If He hadn't love me like He does
Well I wouldn't be
If He hadn't saved me
I'd suffer through eternity
If I had but one breath I'd use it to praise Him…
11. Continue In Faith
It was great to hear Preacher Gerald Miller on Sunday and to hear his children sing for the Lord. A portion of his text was Mark 11:20-22.
"20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God."
Preacher Miller said that the disciples had been in Bethany and seen Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. They had seen healings and they had eaten of the five loaves and two fish which had been broken by Jesus to feed the 5,000. They had been in the storms at sea when Jesus walked on the water and calmed the storm. With all the miracles they had seen, they looked at the fig tree which had withered away, and "they marvelled." (Matthew 21:20) Jesus told them, "Have faith in God." In Colossians 1:4 the Apostle Paul told the church that he had heard of their faith in Christ Jesus and of the love they had. He wanted them to continue in their faith. "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;" (Colossians 1:23) He went on to speak of their "stedfastness" of faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:5) He reminded them that they were rooted and stablished in the faith. (Colossians 2:7) And he told them, "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12) We were saved by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8) "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)" (II Corinthians 5:7) We have seen the Lord working in our lives. Don't let the doubt, and anger and bitterness of others weaken your faith. Don't get your eyes on the chaotic state of the world get your eyes off the Lord. Jesus said, "Have faith in God." And Paul tells us to continue in our faith.
12. Comfort One Another
I don't know how many times recently I have said, "Many people are hurting." I get prayer requests from dear friends, and also from readers I have never met, and I feel honored that they ask me to pray for them. Many are struggling with their health, and with their finances, and the trials of life have been a burden. As we begin chapter 2 of Colossians we see that another way we can redeem the time is by comforting one another in love. "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;" (Colossians 2:2) In another letter Paul tries to comfort the church as he tells them to "be of good comfort." (II Corinthians 13:11) He also tells them to "comfort one another." (I Thessalonians 4:18) I can't do much to help with someone's physical needs, or their financial needs, but I can pray to my God who can. And I can try to comfort them through kind words or deeds. Our little acts of kindness can go a long way to bring comfort to someone. "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." (Proverbs 16:24)
13. Walk In The Way Of The Lord
I was just a mile or so from the house and I made a left turn off the main road. I traveled several miles out of the way, up and down hills on a curvy, winding, country road. I finally got to a place where I could make a right turn and get back to the right road. Why did I go so far out of the way? Because the bridge is closed and I followed the detour signs. Why take a chance going over a bridge that may be out just ahead? We feel like we are on the wrong road. The direction of our path is winding and taking several turns that we didn't expect. I am reminded of when God brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt. "And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:" (Exodus 13:17) We are almost in sight of home... so close... yet our path seems rough and hard. What can we do? Keep walking with the Lord. We don't know what is coming. There may be a bridge out just ahead. We may be a lot closer to home than we imagine. Keep following Christ! It is hard not to be discouraged when the world is going in the wrong direction, but if we stay with our Lord, we will be near Him when He calls His children home. Don't quit. Walk with the Lord!
"6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6-7)
14. Seek Those Things Which Are Above
The Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church at Colosse almost 2,000 years ago but God has preserved it and given it to us so that we can find help and encouragement as we redeem the time. Our words of wisdom today tell us to "seek those things which are above..."
"1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)
When we look at the world today we find heartache and disappointment, but Jesus taught His followers to seek the kingdom of God. This world is not our final home, we are just passing through.
"19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 ... for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Portions of Matthew 6)
15. We Have To Put Off Some Things
I used to split wood to burn in our wood stove. Sometimes there would be pieces that were too solid and hard for me to split with an ax. But if I got a small cut in the wood, I could put in a wedge and pound and pound, and drive that wedge deep enough to split the wood in two. That happens with family and friends, too. There was once a time when your friendship was strong and you thought nothing could come between you and drive you apart. But a word, or action, created a small cut, and the anger and bitterness kept driving a wedge between you, until you were broken in two. It may have started five years ago, or ten or more, and now so much time has passed your heart has grown cold and bitter. God's Word tells us to put off anger, wrath, malice, and sins of the "old man" and put on the "new man". We are talking about "Redeeming The Time" as we go through the book of Colossians. We can't get back the weeks, months, or years we lost to bitterness, but we can redeem, and make good use of the time we have left. Don't let anger rob you of your joy. Thanksgiving and Christmas are times we celebrate with family and friends. If you have bitterness in your heart it's time to put it away. You may not be able to put your friendship back together, but putting away the anger and bitterness can start a healing process in your own life. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)
"8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:" (Colossians 3:8-10)
16. We Need To Put On Some Things
God doesn't do things half way. Moses said, "And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers." (Deuteronomy 6:23) "He brought us out... that he might bring us in..." So when Paul told the church at Colosse to "put off" some things, he followed with some things they were to "put on."
"12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." (Colossians 3:12-15)
These are all wonderful attributes that we should have. Several are found in the fruit of the spirit list in Galatians 5:22-23. And charity is given "above all" just as it is in I Corinthians 13:13. And if you really think about it, these characteristics will come from within when we have love for others. So, in the morning when you get up and put on your clean clothes for the day, think about putting on love for others and see how much better your day will be.
17. Let The Peace Of God Rule Your Heart
The Bible tells us that things will get worse in the last days, and I believe we are in the last days. Is it possible to have peace with so much conflict in our lives? Our verse today is found in Colossians 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." God can give peace to a broken heart. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3) God can give peace to a convicted heart. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10) The Lord can give peace to a troubled or fearful heart. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) When I am troubled I often lay awake at night trying to sort things out, but the Lord can even give me restful peace in the night. "Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:7-8) No matter what kind of storm you are going through at this time, the Lord can give you peace when you put your trust in Him. "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:39)
18. Sing With Grace In Your Heart
I enjoy singing! I like to hear songs that praise God, and I also like to sing songs of praise to my Lord. Singing lifts our spirit and gives us joy. "Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." (Psalm 100:2) Songs can also be a teaching tool to help us learn from God's Word. Before Moses died God gave him a song to teach the Children of Israel. "Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel." (Deuteronomy 31:19) Our verse today is found in Colossians 3:16. "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." I declare with the Psalmist, "I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being." (Psalm 104:33)
19. Do All In The Name Of The Lord Jesus
I am enjoying our journey through the book of Colossians. I believe that there has never been a more appropriate time in history for us to redeem the time. We are getting closer to the call of our Lord each passing day. We have seen some great advice from the Apostle Paul of how we are to live for the Lord. Our verse today is all inclusive. "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Colossians 3:17) We can redeem the time by making sure everything we say or do is done for God's glory. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31) With this as our daily priority and desire we can claim Philippians 4:13 by faith, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
20. Relationships With Others
As we finish up chapter 3 we see that Paul addresses our personal relationships. I saw a post on facebook yesterday that gives some ways to have a sweeter life. The love of God can help strengthen all of our relationships with others. Life is short. I know three people who have died in the last few days. Let people know how much you love them before it is too late. Our verses follow.
"Life is too short.
Grudges are a waste of happiness.
Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change.
Love deeply and forgive quickly.
Life is too short to be unhappy."
"18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons." (Colossians 3:18-25)
21. Continue
I began the devotional web site when two of my sons were in college to encourage them. They graduated and got married but I felt like the Lord wanted me to continue the daily devotions. I am thankful that God has allowed me to continue still today as I try to encourage Christians and send out the gospel message, "Jesus Saves!" We saw earlier that Paul encouraged his readers to "continue in the faith" (Colossians 1:23). Today we are encouraged to continue in prayer and thanksgiving. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;" (Colossians 4:2) He encouraged Timothy to continue. "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;" (II Timothy 3:14) Jesus also told His followers to continue. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;" (John 8:31) "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." (John 15:9) We can understand from all these scriptures that the Lord doesn't want us to quit. This has been a hard year for many, but it's not over and we need to continue in prayer and thanksgiving... continue in the faith... continue in the things we have learned... continue in God's Word... and continue in His love. Let's keep on keeping on for the Lord!
22. Seasoned With Salt
When I sit down to eat a fresh ear of corn on the cob I like to cover it with butter and salt. And potatoes, whether they are fried, baked, or mashed, I want salt in them. Most of the things I eat are seasoned with salt. As we come to Colossians 4:5-6 we see the verse which began our thoughts on "Redeeming The Time" and the verse for our final words of wisdom from the Apostle Paul. "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Sometimes I am asked a question, totally out of the blue, that I don't know how to answer. Paul tells us to answer "with grace, seasoned with salt." The "grace" part takes care of not answering in anger, or fear, or ridicule, or any other way that is rude or ugly. But what about the "seasoned with salt" part? Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." (Matthew 5:13) We want to be good for something, so let's look at some of the things salt is good for.
Seasoning - I like for my foods to be seasoned with salt. A sprinkle of salt adds so much flavor.
Healing - There have been many times I gargled with warm salt water to comfort a sore throat.
Cleansing - A quick search online tells you many stains that can be removed with salt.
Melt Ice - The ice trucks use salt water to help with icy roads. I use salt in my ice cream freezer to make home made ice cream.
Preservative - I can remember the smoke house at my grandparents where meat was covered with salt and hung to cure.
I don't want to be "good for nothing." Taking the list above, can we say that our words are seasoning, adding flavor to the conversation? Do our words help others with healing and cleansing? Can our words be warm enough to melt a cold heart? Can our words help preserve good thoughts and moments for those who need a kind word? As our time on earth becomes less and less, let's remember to "walk in wisdom... redeeming the time" and let's also remember to let our speech be "with grace and seasoned with salt."
