Colossians 3:12-4:1

Colossians 3 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. 18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. 20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.[e] 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
Colossians 4 1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven.

Devotion: by Justin
Peace, Man! Love one another! You can plainly see that the hippie movement of the 1960s and 70s was not original. Paul started the hippie movement long ago as part of something much greater. Paul was writing to the church in Colosse (present day Turkey) to encourage them and to confront false teachings. He wanted to give the church a blueprint for how to succeed. How do you tell a church how to behave in just one letter? Go back to the basics. Keep it simple. “Above all,” says Paul, “clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Everything else that Paul writes to follow in these passages goes back to that message. Why did God send his only son to die?—out of love for us! How could Jesus endure the torture?—out of love for us! Christianity’s central theme is love, and Paul is calling us out in our mission and in our daily lives. Who have you shown love to today? Pray for God to show you who is in need of love. Reach out to that person with the love of Jesus. You might just change a life.

Prayer:
Father, fill my heart with your love. Help me to weed out any bitterness that I harbor. Show me where I have failed to forgive others for hurts that they have caused me. Help me to fully forgive them and to pray for blessings in their lives. Help me to understand the times when I have hurt others. Heal them from the hurts that I have caused. Lord, help me to see opportunities to help others by reaching out with your unending love. Give me courage to reach out. Help me feel your love and protection. Amen.