For the Lord: From Perfectionism to Worship

 By: Lauren Thomas 

This is embarrassing, but, as a child, my naïve and incorrect interpretation of a certain Bible verse had an unfortunate consequence: raw, cracked hands. How? And I’m cringing as I write this… Sometimes I would re-wash my hands, repeatedly, because I was worried I hadn’t done it “good enough” the first time. No, this wasn’t about an OCD diagnosis. It was about thinking Colossians 3:23 meant I had to do everything perfectly. In the NIV this verse says, “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” If I realized that I had done something – anything – on autopilot, I felt like I had to re-do it “with all my heart.” I began to drive myself crazy – not clinically crazy, don’t worry – worrying about all my “work” being “with all my heart.” By God’s grace, this issue was resolved!

I had forgotten about this until recently when I was studying through Colossians. Thankfully, now I have a better grasp on how to interpret and apply Scripture. 

 

Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,

Colossians 3:23 CSB

 

This verse has nothing to do with obsessive perfectionism. It’s about belonging to the only one who is perfect. 

 

In context, Paul was giving a directive to slaves: to serve their earthly masters as if they were serving Jesus. This came at the end of a segment where Paul was explaining that, in Christ, a restructuring of institutions was necessary, and that the restructuring involved a different authority from what the Roman culture was used to. Instead of patriarchs and slave owners being at the top, Jesus was to be the Christian’s primary authority, and all others were to be treated as equals in Christ (see Colossians 3:11, 18-4:1). 

 

Jesus is the only source of perfection. And he understands our flawed humanity. He doesn’t require perfect performance from us. He desires sincerity. He desires that our work be done with excellence. But more than that, he desires that in our work, we are worshiping our perfect Lord, who deserves all praise. 

 

So, as I wipe pasta sauce from my children’s faces, as I fold laundry, as I sweep the floor, as I teach a Bible class, my aim isn’t perfection. Instead, my goal in all this work is to change it into worship of my Lord. 

 

Reflection:

Think about the work you do through the week, be it housework or tasks from your employer. What would change if you did these tasks “from the heart” and “for the Lord”? Does your work look like worship? Who is Lord in your life?

Cast Your Cares

By: Jenifer Metzger

Cast v.
[kast, kahst]
1. To throw or hurl; fling
2. To throw off or away

Cast all your anxiety on Him

because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Cast your cares on the Lord

and He will sustain you;

He will never let

the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 55:22

The Bible says to cast our cares on God. God could have chose any word for these verses. Yet, out of the hundred-thousand, or so, words in existence, God choose the word cast. When I hear the word cast, I automatically think of someone fishing. They cast their line out which means they throw, hurl, or fling their line as far out as they can into the water. They try to get the line far from them.

God says to cast our cares on Him. What does that really mean? It means to throw our cares to Him. Hurl our cares to Him. Or fling our cares to Him. It doesn't mean to simply hand Him our cares timidly and it surely doesn't mean to get them close to Him, then pull them back!

Whatever trial you are facing, whatever pain is upon you, cast it to Him. God is far better equipped to deal with it than you are. Cast it to Him and let Him sustain you.

Discussion:
1. Think of a time you gave your cares to God. Did you do it timidly? Did you try to take it back?
2. When we give our cares to God we can trust Him to take care of the situation. When you cast your cares on Him, remind yourself of His goodness and faithfulness to care for you.

Names of God Series: Looking to Jehovah Gmolah

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Claudio Schwarz

"Leave Babylon;

save your lives, each of you!

Don’t perish because of her guilt.

For this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance—

he will pay her what she deserves."

 ~Jeremiah 51:6

In this week's installment in our Names of God series, we come now to the name Jehovah Gmolah. I was not familiar with this name before preparing for this study, and was unaware that the meaning of it is "The God of Recompense", showing that our God repays and restores vengeance.

.Many of us are familiar with the passage of Scripture which states that vengeance is the Lord's, and He will repay. We are also likely familiar with the fact that our God is a God of justice. But to realize that not only are those two things true, but that one of His very names is all about these realities is something else altogether! These truths reveal aspects of His character, pointing to Who He is. 

In a day and age in which injustice runs rampant, it is a special comfort to know the Lord is the One Who will repay, that He is the One who will meet out justice as needed - in both the small things as well as the big ones. In small everyday inconveniences like when we are vilified or mistreated by people on the opposite side of the political spectrum from us or called names on social media as people more and more hide behind their screens these days, we can know we don't have to exercise retaliation in any way. Likewise, in the bigger issues of life when entire people groups are marginalized and mistreated and injustice seems to prevail, we can take comfort in the fact that our Jehovah Gmolah reigns, and He will repay and act with complete and utter justice.

We live in what feel like increasingly dark times, and it is a comfort to know that our God's got this. He is not blind to the injustices of our day. He is not unaware of how His children are mistreated. He sees it all, and He will act accordingly.

Reflection Questions:

1) How does it relieve a burden from your shoulders to know that you don't have to seek vengeance yourself?

2) How can you encourage someone today who has been the victim of injustice with the truth that our God is a God of justice?

The Bread of Life

 By: Joanne Viola

 

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; 
he who comes to Me will not hunger,
 and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” 
(John 6:35, NASB)

Jesus said if we believe in Him, we will never be spiritually hungry or malnourished. We know this to be true as only Jesus can satisfy our deepest desires.

Satisfy, as defined by the dictionary, is “to gratify to the full.”

The definition brings the reminder that as we let Jesus satisfy us, we are satisfied to the full. We will not want anything else, or anything more.

He then, becomes enough for us.

In this one verse, two things spoken by Jesus stand out: “he who comes” and “he who believes.”

We must do both.

We can come sit down at a table but not partake of any food. We will leave just as empty as we were before. We must both come and eat, take in, in order to be nourished.

And so Jesus is telling us, we must come to Him and we must also believe. We come and yield ourselves to Him, to His Word, to His commands.

The funny part is that when we believe in Him, we will come more often.

The verse in the AMPC brings more insight:

“Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time).”

Come and believe.
Partake of His Word daily.
He will fill us so that we are satisfied to the full.

 

Reflection:
Have you ever tried to satisfy yourself with temporary things? Have you found spiritual food from Christ today?

 

Photo by Vicky Ng on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

In Christ, With Christ, Christ in You

 By: Lauren Thomas 

Would you believe that one of the most Christ-focused books of the Bible is a tiny, 4-chapter epistle penned by Paul? Considering the length of the book, the content, and the frequent references to Christ, Colossians is one of the most Christ-focused books of the Bible.

 

If you sat down and read through Colossians, you might notice a phrase occurring on repeat: “in Christ.” Paul uses this phrase in his other books, but the sheer volume of this repetitive phrase in Colossians should make us take special notice. 

Paul also uses variations of this phrase. In addition to “in Christ,” he uses the phrases “in him,” “in whom,” “Christ in [us]” and “with Christ. While these phrases all point to the same reality, they all have slightly different meanings.

 

In Christ (in Him/whom). This phrase is Paul’s code for “living a new life,” the kind that can only come through Jesus’s work of redemption. It also has to do with how we receive this new life.

 

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

 

Christ in You. This variation speaks to the wonder that not only are we hidden in Christ, but He abides in us!  

 

27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27 ESV

 

With Christ. We identify personally with Christ. We crucify our sinful flesh, because Jesus’ sinless flesh was crucified. And we are raised with him by faith, because he was raised in power! He has brought us from spiritual death back to life!

 

12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

Colossians 2:12-13 ESV

 

These phrases in Colossians essentially mean that those of us who are “in Christ” enjoy a mutual indwelling, an intimate connection, and a personal identification with Jesus. This is a beautiful mystery. And it’s one that touches every aspect of our lived experience. At least it should…In Colossians, Paul also warned against not holding to Christ (2:19) and ceasing to walk in Christ (2:6). 

 

Jesus has offered us this union, this profound connection. Don’t ignore it. Don’t forfeit it. Let us not lose sight of the privilege of being “in Christ.” Let us not fail to live the life that Jesus has secured for us. 

 

May our lives be as Christ-focused as this little letter to the Colossians. 

 

Refection:

Read through Colossians and note every variation of “in Christ.” 

Compare this “in Christ” theme with John 15:4-7. What does it mean to abide in Christ? 

How can you walk “in Christ” today?