DEVOTIONAL
May 25 - 30
Letters of Paul: Forgive
Monday, May 25
Colossians 3:1-4
“Your real life is with Christ in God”
To be a Christian is to change, to become new. It is not simply a matter of choosing a new life
style, though there is a new style; it has to do with being a new person. The new person does not
emerge full-blown. Conversion, passing from death to life, may be the miracle of a moment, but
the making of a saint – presenting oneself complete or mature in Christ – is the task of a lifetime.
The dynamic process of saint-making is to work out in fact what is already true in principle. In
position, in our relation to God in Jesus Christ, we are new persons. Now our condition, the actual
life that we live, must be brought into harmony with our new position.
When Paul refers to “Christ who is our life” in verse 4, he is making an astounding claim. The
new life into which we enter by conversion is nothing else than the life of Christ himself. This new
life is not different from the “old” life only in degree; it is a new kind, a new quality of life. This
means at least two things. One, death has no power over us. Eternal life is ours now, and nothing
can take it away. Two, sin has no power over us. Christ’s power is in us, and we can overcome sin.
May what I do here on earth, Lord, reflect your heavenly will for me. Amen.
Tuesday, May 26
Colossians 3:5-11
“Put to death the old”
Paul now explains in specific terms what it means to live the new life in Christ: “put off” the evil
ways in which you once walked; “put on” the new ways and walk in them. We need to be careful
that we don’t miss the radical nature of this by looking only on the surface. Paul is not talking
about anything so superficial as Cinderella abandoning her servant rags to dress like a princess
for the ball. If we want to go to fantasyland for a picture, Paul is talking about something like
the prince who has become an ugly frog being kissed by a lovely maiden and becomes a
handsome prince again.
When a person has been seriously ill and recovers, we say, “She is a new person.” A person
is depressed, down in the dumps, in despair, moping in self-pity; then something happens – he
falls in love, a long-absent friend comes to see him, he has a career change, he experiences some
success – and we say, “That made him a new man.” At a much, much deeper level, we become
new persons as we put off the old life and put on the new life of Christ.
Help me to reject all sinful lifestyles, Lord Jesus, and to live your style of life. Amen.
Wednesday, May 27
Colossians 3:12-15
“Put on the new”
Putting on has to do with a deep and transforming inner experience which reflects itself
outwardly. We are God’s people, which means we are to be holy as he is holy. Holy has at
least two meanings. It has to do with our character – with how we act, with the attitudes and
attributes of our lives. So, Paul urges us to put away the sins of our lives that we may be holy.
Holy also has to do with “being set apart,” dedicated. God lays his claim upon us, calls us; we
respond in dedication. We now have a vocation – to be holy, to be his.
What Paul wants us to put on has been called the “garments of Christian grace.” Mother
Teresa of India “wears” this grace and expresses it this way: “Being unwanted is the worst
disease that any human being can ever experience. For all kinds of diseases there are medicines
and cures. But for being unwanted, except there are willing hands to serve and there’s a loving
heart to love, I don’t think this terrible disease can ever be cured.” That is grace: willing hands to
serve because of hearts that love.
Strengthen me to be holy, Lord, so others may see your grace in me. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL
May 25 - 30
Letters of Paul: Forgive
Thursday, May 28
Colossians 3:16-17
“Let the word of Christ . . . live in your hearts”
The “word of Christ” refers to the message about Christ. It contains the wealth of God’s
wisdom, which should guide the church’s teaching and worship. Believers do not need special
visions to enhance the wisdom they already have in the word of Christ. Worship is our response
to what the word of Christ has done and continues to do. It shapes our faith and makes it
meaningful for our daily lives as we respond to the God who has saved us and calls us to be his
people. In his letter, Paul identifies three key elements of worship: teaching that centers on the
word of Christ, singing praise, and giving thanks.
In worship, the presence of Christ and our joining together in offering up prayers and songs to
God establishes and strengthens our mutual life in Christ. Our worship provides guidance for our
lives in hearing the Word of God applied, brings to our awareness the needs of others in our
intercessory prayers, and presents the opportunity for confessing our sin. It prepares us for the
spiritual battles we face during the week.
May our worship, Lord, be centered in hearing and living the word of Christ. Amen.
Friday, May 29
Colossians 3:18-21
“. . . as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord”
Paul centers his teaching to the Colossians about marriage and family in Christ, and family
members’ mutual commitment to him. Paul has often been criticized as being down on women.
The truth is, he presented a radically new view of marriage and family which elevated women
and children to a hitherto unthinkable level of equality. The Hebrew and Greek understanding of
marriage reduced women to “things” to be used, not persons to be loved and cherished, and
children were under the absolute control of their father.
Paul based his teaching on the fact that the person in Christ has a new Lord of life. People
are brothers and sisters, all recipients of grace, and in the eyes of the Lord there is no distinction
in worth between male and female, young and old. In these verses Paul puts the emphasis on the
value of persons. The family, then, is a place of persons – not just a place to eat and sleep, to
watch TV, and to rest from work. It is a place for the living out of Christ’s love for every member
of the family.
In my family, Lord, may Christ’s love be evident as we love one another. Amen.
Saturday, May 30
Colossians 3:22 – 4:1
“Slaves obey your masters . . . masters be fair to your slaves”
Paul’s counsel on slaves and masters has little contemporary significance in our culture, which
now considers slavery to be intolerable. The relationship between employees and employers in
democratic societies is so completely different from that of master and slave in the first century
that we much be careful in making any comparison. But there are certain principles in these
instructions that apply in any setting, including the workplace.
There are some who justify their dishonesty, their negligence, or their shoddy work because of
perceived mistreatment by their employers. They assume that the injustice gives them a license to
use passive aggressive ways of striking back. The Christian ethic requires an altogether different
approach. If Christian slaves were expected to work heartily out of reverence for the Lord, every
Christian, regardless of the circumstances, must do the same thing. Similarly, there are those who
find themselves in a position of control over others. They should always seek to preserve dignity,
fairness, and respect and to avoid treating persons as disposable assets.
All that I do in word or deed, Lord Jesus, I commit to doing in your name. Amen.