16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly
as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
17 And 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.
Colossians 3:16
Do you ever think of the message of Christ dwelling among us richly? I believe it means that as believers allow the teaching of Christ to permeate their being; we live together in unity; and we have peace. Naturally, we won’t have perfect unity or peace, but where God’s Spirit is, we will be closer in unity and peace.
Sometimes you can experience Christ dwelling among us in the bond of unity, and the Spirit of Christ being so real. That is a beautiful thing. And what is the opposite? A spirit of disbelief, hatred, misery and more. The enemy wouldn’t want anyone working together for God’s glory. Satan is pleased when chaos and hatred prevail.
So on to the next concept in Colossians 3:16. We are to teach and admonish one another. How do we do that? As Christians we long to learn more about God’s Word, so we go to Church to hear God’s Word. We join a Bible Study to share our learning in a group setting, also learning from other believers. We ask questions and read truth filled books to learn more.
Now the hard part. How do we admonish others and why? We are to instruct and direct others for their benefit and for God’s glory as we see others going astray. As a Biblical Counsellor this is an important aspect of my job as well. You can’t just give good news, which is always a joy to share. You hold someone to the truth of God’s Word, even the hard truths. We all have a responsibility to do that.
A mature believer will receive God’s truth in their hearts and lives, even when admonished.
Have you been on both ends of the equation? Have you had someone speak hard truths into your life and admonish you for your actions? Our Dad was honest with that. You didn’t get away with much. And today I am thankful for it. Admonishments are always to be done with wisdom, however.
Christians are to do these things while singing to God with gratitude in our hearts. We sing hymns, psalms, and songs of the Spirit with much joy! We sing our hearts out with thankfulness overflowing and joy radiating from our souls. If this is not your experience, I invite you to join a church that holds to the truth of the Bible faithfully and sings, really sings corporately or together! Naturally, we can and should do this in our private worship times as well.
And last, we are to do what we do with thanks to God through Jesus Christ.
On that note for today we shall end.
I will write again about giving thanks with all our hearts to God!
For now… wishing every reader a beautiful and blessed thanksgiving with family, friends, and most of all singing praises to our God!