“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17 NLT
Welcome to the 22nd weekly devotional recap of the year. This week, we learnt about purpose, being sold out to the gospel, emulating the right spiritual examples, and thanksgiving.
We started the week by discussing the believer and purpose. Purpose is the one thing for which you were created and at which you must succeed. Only the creator of a thing can accurately tell us its purpose. As people created by God, our purpose is to know Christ and to make Him known. Therefore, we must live for Him (2 Corinthians 5:15, Galatians 2:20), and in doing so, we gain true success, happiness and a life worth living.
On Tuesday, we were admonished to be sold out to the gospel. If we can diligently work at becoming proficient at worldly things which have no eternal significance, how much more the gospel that saved us? Being sold out to the gospel is to be Christ-like and to have an insatiable desire to share God’s truth (Mark 16: 15). Through our service to God, physical and financial contributions to our local church, and our Christian conduct, our devotion to God and His gospel is evident.
Wednesday’s devotional taught that following the right example helps us walk in the power we already possess as believers. Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua, Paul and Timothy, and Jesus and Peter show us how having an example to look up to can awaken us to walk in God’s power (Matthew 14:25-29). Surround yourself with examples of people who walk unashamedly in God’s power, and seek opportunities to boldly show forth this power.
On Thursday, we discussed living a life of thanksgiving. While it is easy to focus on the things that aren’t working, doing so makes us lose track of what we have and how far we have come (1 Thessalonians 5:18). All we have is from God, and we must acknowledge this and respond appropriately with thanksgiving. As believers, there is always a reason to be thankful to God, and we must intentionally cultivate that habit.
Friday’s devotional admonished us to always thank God. We were also given reasons why Thanksgiving is important. We give thanks because we have eternal life, and thanksgiving boosts our faith as believers. But that’s not all. We also give thanks because God is good, and it is His will that we thank Him (Ephesians 5: 20). Our emotions should not control how thankful we are. We must thank God in all circumstances, no matter how we feel.
As our anchor scripture states, let us do everything as representatives of God. Therefore, from today, be conscious of your life’s purpose and live every day committed to it. Remind yourself of the blessings of God and respond appropriately with thanksgiving.
Happy weekend!
Bible Reading Plan: Psalm 18