"Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father." --Collosians 3:17 (Today's English Version)

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This is a simple verse to understand. Only two words have more than a single syllable. It's that first two-syllable word that gets us--everything.

"Everything we do or say. . ." Whew. That's a tough one. Everything! It's pretty clear, isn't it? We're to do and say EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And if that isn't hard enough, Paul writes, "as you give thanks through Him to God the Father." That's what it says, give thanks through the Lord Jesus to God the Father in everything we do or say.

It' simple, but it's hard.

I know that when I "do" the most unpleasant task, or "say" something to the most irritating person, things go better if I've prayed about it.

I wonder what it would be like, if in everything I do I remember to pray, "Lord, this is dirty, unpleasant, and stinks, but I'm doing it in your name. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you and to grow spiritually."

Simple to understand, but hard to do. It requires constant focus on the Lord Jesus, not on the unpleasantness of the task or the person we encounter, and certainly not on ourselves.

It helps me to remember what Paul says after that, in Colossians 3:23. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for men."

HLG

Copyright 2001, Harvey L. Gardner