Gtcotr/ss112121
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
This morning we are going to discuss three important commands God gives His children. And, because this week is Thanksgiving in America, we are going to start with God’s instructions for His children to:
1. Be Thankful
“Be thankful” is not a suggestion, it is an admonition of the Lord.
Far too often we imagine thankfulness as an option or that the lack of thanksgiving in our hearts and minds has no negative repercussions. However, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Over and over throughout the Bible God takes notice that His children from time to time have failed to be thankful. When we lose a sense of gratitude for what we have been given or for all God has done for us, we depreciate those things in our lives for which God and others paid a dear price. Thanksgiving is a very powerful force both in heaven and earth.
We
have so much for which to be thankful.
·
God
loves us and has a plan for our lives.
·
Salvation
and the forgiveness of sins.
·
The
freedoms I enjoy, the instructions I receive, and that there is always
something I can do to please God.
· We are a blessed people indeed …
We have been called by God to be faithful stewards of His blessings. The very first commandment God gave to mankind when He presented Eve to Adam is found in Genesis 1:28:
2. Be Fruitful
God expected Adam and Eve to appreciate the life, the garden, and the opportunity He had given them to participate in His plan. We are also given that very same opportunity each and every day.
Notice that the moment God added one other person to the equation of life, God encouraged each one of them to be good stewards over the other. God was not only interested in the individual but also interested in the family as a whole. This theme of families, households, communities, and nations continue throughout the whole Bible.
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Colossians 3:15 says we are called into “one body”. Our calling is the same as that of Adam and Eve. In this case we are called to be good stewards of our relationships with others. It is important to God that we are a functioning part of the body. In Romans 12 and in 1 Corinthians 12, the Holy Spirit reminds us to acknowledge and appreciate every other member of the body. Each has its function and is needed to complete the body so that the body can accomplish what God began on the earth.
Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
God admonishes us to care for each member of the body. It is unlikely Adam and Eve would have ever accomplished the other commands God gave them if they could not or would not acknowledge and appreciate one another.
We must check and challenge ourselves to be good stewards of the body to which we have been called. This simply means caring for on another. Caring if others have food, water, clothes, shelter, encouragement, and especially care if others have heard the Good News about Jesus.
Stewardship
of the body to which we have been called requires caring for:
·
Its
Health
·
Its
Wealth
·
Its
Mission
Adam and Eve are a picture of God’s intent. Although two individual people, individually created by the hand of God, they were one body in the eyes of God. “They two shall be one body …” (Genesis 2:24).
A third and final important command of God we will discuss today is the command to:
3. Be at Peace
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts …”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Lack of peace in our lives, especially with our neighbors or within our neighborhoods, is often a sign people need to get right with God. We cannot blame others because we do not sense the portending peace of God in our lives. When we please God, we have peace with ourselves, and:
Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
The indication is that in order to live in peace with others we must first live at peace with God. This means we are not able to continue lying; cheating; stealing; spreading or listening to gossip; having outbursts of anger; fostering unforgiveness; hatred; sexual immorality; stubbornness; jealously; selfish ambitions; or pride, and live at peace with God and others.
Please take a look at Galatians 5:19-21 to review those things which place people at odds with God and others.
The
way we treat others is very important, but it is secondary to the way we treat
God. We cannot live unthankful lives and at the same time expect to be healthy,
happy, and productive in this world. So this week remember to: Be Thankful;
Be Fruitful; and Be at Peace!
