Who We Are...Who We Are To Be

Colossians 3:15-1715Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


I remember when I first started playing baseball with the Manitoba Provincial Baseball Team, one of the things I realized is that I represented our province (this was part of my identity as a baseball player) and as a representative, there was certain ways we were expected to conduct ourselves, for the sake of the province, the team, and for our own good. We would be defined as a team that hussled, that was respectful, that worked hard. We were individuals and we were not to be robots, but there was a code of conduct. It seems to me that this is sort of what Paul is speaking about here. In the beginning of Chapter 3, he speaks to us of who we are...people who are being renewed in knowledege in the image of our Creator. Than he drops the THEREFORE...in light of this reality, how should we act. It begins in verse 12 and carries on through 15-17, where we are today.


Observations
Paul gives 4 commands1. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...(seems to me he is talking about peace in relationships with others)2. Be thankful3. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly4. Do everything in the name of the Lord
I get the first two, live at peace with others comes out of verses 12-14. I get the second, although this is seriously hard at times. I want to camp on the last two quickly...
I don't think there are many things that define us more clearly than letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly and making sure that all we do is for Christ. Here are the questions...how do we let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly? My thoughts are first we need to be reading it...it wouldn't hurt to think on it some, and perhaps memorization would go a long way. I know, these "methods" seem outdated, and certainly there is more to it than this, but it is a start...at least for me. I need to pick it up. And by the way, doing everything in the name of the Lord, while impossible apart from God's grace, is the only way we can be faithful to the other commands, especially the ones that demand we treat others with respect. The only way I get my focus off myself, the only way I forgive, the only way I bear with people who seriously rub me the wrong way, is if I have a greater purpose, Christ. By the way, the best way to see Christ is His Word...funny how it goes hand in hand. This is who we are and who we are to be...