Colossians 3:23 – Verse of the Day 11/20/14

These days we tend to care a lot about what people think about us. “Image is everything” the advertisements tell us. While the Bible does not deny that what people think about us matters, it also teaches us that we should care much, much more about our reputation before the Lord.

In Colossians 3, Paul focuses on our new nature as those who have “put on Christ” and “put to death” the old nature that we received from Adam’s sin. For Paul, it is not our earthly reputation that ultimately matters before the Lord, but whether or not our sins have been forgiven by Jesus. For those who have been forgiven, everything that we do should be done for the glory of God as we gratefully offer our lives as living sacrifices in response to the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.

As you pray, ask the Lord to help you see your whole life as an opportunity to respond to His grace with thankfulness. Jesus’ sacrifice for us demands a response that is either all or nothing. Think of specific areas of your life where you struggle to live according to the gifts you have been given, and ask the Lord to give you the strength to grow in these areas as you grow in gratitude for what He has done for you.