- Aug 10, 2006
- 16,610
- 4,284
- 75
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
I’m sharing this here with you from my time of personal devotions with my Lord Jesus Christ, for your encouragement. Sue Love
Colossians 3:12-13 ESV
Put on Kindness and Compassion
When we look at these qualities mentioned here, we need to measure them by the word of God and not by the measurements of humans. For humans may regard it kindness to lie to people or to not say anything to offend anyone and thus to not share the gospel with anyone. They may consider it kind to never talk about sin or repentance or obedience to God and to keep all conversations on more of a friendly socially acceptable level.
They may consider it compassionate to not ever talk with anyone about their sins and to just accept sin in sinful human beings as being a part of who we are as humans. They may consider it compassionate to never address any topics that might be considered controversial or that might make anyone uncomfortable, and so they may keep their conversations only to socially acceptable standards of what they may consider to be “polite.”
And bearing with one another in love does not mean accepting habitual and deliberate sin in the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t mean allowing people to do evil things to other people while we just stand by and watch and do nothing, or while we pacify the habitual and deliberate sinner via support groups which often only extend the sinful behavior without making an exerted effort to put the sinful behavior to death.
As well, forgiving one another does not mean we give carte blanche to professing Christians to continue in deliberate and habitual sin. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” His word teaches that we must no longer live as slaves to sin and that sin is to no longer have mastery over our lives. God doesn’t look the other way while we continue in deliberate disobedience to him, and neither should we. We should be moving people to repentance and to changed lives to where they don’t keep repeating the same sins.
So, if we are going to be kind and compassionate like Jesus was, we are going to speak the truth in love to others for their good, and we are going to tell them that God requires death to sin and living to him and to his righteousness. And we are going to let them know that forgiveness of sins is not permission then to keep on living in sin guilt free. For Jesus died to free us from our addiction to sin so we will now live holy lives pleasing to Him.
Colossians 3:14-15 ESV
Put On Love
As well, this word “love” is not based in our emotions. It is based in God who is love. And God is holy, morally pure, righteous, truthful, trustworthy, faithful, kind, and upright, and so this love shares those same characteristic traits. For this love is based in moral preference, and it prefers what God prefers, and so it does no harm to another. When we love with this kind of love we will not habitually and deliberately sin against other humans.
And when we love with this kind of love we are going to consider what are people’s true needs, which is how God loves. And we are going to want to do for others what will be for their good (as God defines good), and so we will do nothing to contribute to their lives anything that is evil. We will not encourage them towards anything evil nor will we join in with them in their evil deeds. And evil is anything that is contrary to the will of God.
And regarding the word “peace,” this is not like the world defines peace, for it is not absence of conflict. It is not everyone agreeing on everything and the whole world uniting together as one mind and as one heart, which is what some people are pushing. We are not going to be at peace with others who are not at peace with God and who oppose God and his word and the gospel of Christ, because we stand on the truths of God’s Word.
So, the peace of Christ ruling our hearts has to do with us being at peace with God, which means that we are no longer living as his enemies, but we are submitting to Christ as Lord, and daily we are dying to sin and living to God and to his righteousness, and we are walking in obedience to our Lord and no longer in sin. For to this we were called, and this is the peace that we should be sharing with other people, too, not world peace.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Colossians 3:16-17 ESV
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
When the Scriptures teach us Christians that we are to speak to ONE ANOTHER in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, it is not talking about the songs needing to sound professional by man's standards. It is speaking about the need for us to encourage (exhort, urge) one another toward walks of holiness and righteousness and away from living in sin and for self. We should all be doing this for the encouragement of one another.
Over a course of nine years the Lord Jesus gave me 185 songs to write for the encouragement of the body of Christ, not for entertainment purposes and not because I have a great voice. I don't anymore. I know that full well. But it is the only voice I have, and God knew that. And these songs are directly from the Scriptures or they are based in the Scriptures and they are exactly what Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 encourage us to do.
In sharing these songs with y'all, I have no other goal other than to encourage you my fellow Christians. I don't need pats on the back. I am not looking for the praise of man. And so I would encourage you to listen to some of these, not with critical ears but with spiritual ears listening for the messages being conveyed, letting the Lord use these songs, as simple and as unprofessional by man's standards as they are, to encourage you in your walks of faith.
If you are reading this on my blog, there should be somewhere on there with a link to “Songs on Vimeo” where you can listen to the songs. The videos with my face are mostly talks, though, not songs. And at least on one of my blogs there should be a section with links to various topics, and one of those should be “Original Works Songs” where you can also read the lyrics. If you are on CF, you can use the link after the following song to get to the other songs. Or, if you are on Facebook, I have created a public page where I am sharing the songs and the lyrics. Original Works
So, be encouraging one another with the word of God, and with biblical songs and poems, to walk in holiness and in faithful obedience to the Lord.
Courageous!
An Original Work / December 24, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
The Word of God throughout taught.
Some people heard but did doubt.
Still others had faith in Christ.
By grace He purified them.
They turned from sin
And they obeyed Christ.
He opened up their blinded eyesight;
Turned them from darkness
To the true Light;
Forgave their sin by His might.
He strengthened them in their faith.
He said, “Remain my faithful.”
He called them to obedience.
By faith, they were so grateful.
By faith, they were to follow Jesus;
To daily sit and listen to Him;
To have such faith
That mountains could move;
To love those whom He gave them.
Be on your guard; courageous.
Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.
Take up the shield of your faith;
Protect against all evil.
Do not move from
The hope that you have.
Your faith in Jesus let it endure.
Hold to the truth;
Your conscience be clear.
Endure with perseverance.
Colossians 3:12-13 ESV
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Put on Kindness and Compassion
When we look at these qualities mentioned here, we need to measure them by the word of God and not by the measurements of humans. For humans may regard it kindness to lie to people or to not say anything to offend anyone and thus to not share the gospel with anyone. They may consider it kind to never talk about sin or repentance or obedience to God and to keep all conversations on more of a friendly socially acceptable level.
They may consider it compassionate to not ever talk with anyone about their sins and to just accept sin in sinful human beings as being a part of who we are as humans. They may consider it compassionate to never address any topics that might be considered controversial or that might make anyone uncomfortable, and so they may keep their conversations only to socially acceptable standards of what they may consider to be “polite.”
And bearing with one another in love does not mean accepting habitual and deliberate sin in the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t mean allowing people to do evil things to other people while we just stand by and watch and do nothing, or while we pacify the habitual and deliberate sinner via support groups which often only extend the sinful behavior without making an exerted effort to put the sinful behavior to death.
As well, forgiving one another does not mean we give carte blanche to professing Christians to continue in deliberate and habitual sin. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” His word teaches that we must no longer live as slaves to sin and that sin is to no longer have mastery over our lives. God doesn’t look the other way while we continue in deliberate disobedience to him, and neither should we. We should be moving people to repentance and to changed lives to where they don’t keep repeating the same sins.
So, if we are going to be kind and compassionate like Jesus was, we are going to speak the truth in love to others for their good, and we are going to tell them that God requires death to sin and living to him and to his righteousness. And we are going to let them know that forgiveness of sins is not permission then to keep on living in sin guilt free. For Jesus died to free us from our addiction to sin so we will now live holy lives pleasing to Him.
Colossians 3:14-15 ESV
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
Put On Love
As well, this word “love” is not based in our emotions. It is based in God who is love. And God is holy, morally pure, righteous, truthful, trustworthy, faithful, kind, and upright, and so this love shares those same characteristic traits. For this love is based in moral preference, and it prefers what God prefers, and so it does no harm to another. When we love with this kind of love we will not habitually and deliberately sin against other humans.
And when we love with this kind of love we are going to consider what are people’s true needs, which is how God loves. And we are going to want to do for others what will be for their good (as God defines good), and so we will do nothing to contribute to their lives anything that is evil. We will not encourage them towards anything evil nor will we join in with them in their evil deeds. And evil is anything that is contrary to the will of God.
And regarding the word “peace,” this is not like the world defines peace, for it is not absence of conflict. It is not everyone agreeing on everything and the whole world uniting together as one mind and as one heart, which is what some people are pushing. We are not going to be at peace with others who are not at peace with God and who oppose God and his word and the gospel of Christ, because we stand on the truths of God’s Word.
So, the peace of Christ ruling our hearts has to do with us being at peace with God, which means that we are no longer living as his enemies, but we are submitting to Christ as Lord, and daily we are dying to sin and living to God and to his righteousness, and we are walking in obedience to our Lord and no longer in sin. For to this we were called, and this is the peace that we should be sharing with other people, too, not world peace.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Colossians 3:16-17 ESV
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
When the Scriptures teach us Christians that we are to speak to ONE ANOTHER in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, it is not talking about the songs needing to sound professional by man's standards. It is speaking about the need for us to encourage (exhort, urge) one another toward walks of holiness and righteousness and away from living in sin and for self. We should all be doing this for the encouragement of one another.
Over a course of nine years the Lord Jesus gave me 185 songs to write for the encouragement of the body of Christ, not for entertainment purposes and not because I have a great voice. I don't anymore. I know that full well. But it is the only voice I have, and God knew that. And these songs are directly from the Scriptures or they are based in the Scriptures and they are exactly what Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 encourage us to do.
In sharing these songs with y'all, I have no other goal other than to encourage you my fellow Christians. I don't need pats on the back. I am not looking for the praise of man. And so I would encourage you to listen to some of these, not with critical ears but with spiritual ears listening for the messages being conveyed, letting the Lord use these songs, as simple and as unprofessional by man's standards as they are, to encourage you in your walks of faith.
If you are reading this on my blog, there should be somewhere on there with a link to “Songs on Vimeo” where you can listen to the songs. The videos with my face are mostly talks, though, not songs. And at least on one of my blogs there should be a section with links to various topics, and one of those should be “Original Works Songs” where you can also read the lyrics. If you are on CF, you can use the link after the following song to get to the other songs. Or, if you are on Facebook, I have created a public page where I am sharing the songs and the lyrics. Original Works
So, be encouraging one another with the word of God, and with biblical songs and poems, to walk in holiness and in faithful obedience to the Lord.
Courageous!
An Original Work / December 24, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
The Word of God throughout taught.
Some people heard but did doubt.
Still others had faith in Christ.
By grace He purified them.
They turned from sin
And they obeyed Christ.
He opened up their blinded eyesight;
Turned them from darkness
To the true Light;
Forgave their sin by His might.
He strengthened them in their faith.
He said, “Remain my faithful.”
He called them to obedience.
By faith, they were so grateful.
By faith, they were to follow Jesus;
To daily sit and listen to Him;
To have such faith
That mountains could move;
To love those whom He gave them.
Be on your guard; courageous.
Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.
Take up the shield of your faith;
Protect against all evil.
Do not move from
The hope that you have.
Your faith in Jesus let it endure.
Hold to the truth;
Your conscience be clear.
Endure with perseverance.