Image via Wikipedia By Teresa Carr
A prescription according to a letter from Apostle Paul to the Colossians that was written about 60 A.D. in ancient Turkey (then Asia Minor). The letter was a remedy of how a church should function healthfully and spiritually. These are simple instructions that one person can follow each day as part of living a successful Christian life.
- Pray always in good times and bad times. Ask for knowledge of God’s will; ask for help in walking worthy of the Lord; ask for strength with all power.
- Trust in Christ always. Christ is the incarnate of God the Father. Jesus Christ is both God and man, divine and human, infinite and finite. Christ is Creator of the world. God created everything “in heaven and on earth.” Christ is the head of the church. Jesus Christ is in control and is involved in the lives of His children. Christ is Reconciler of all. Only Jesus Christ is able to restore broken relationships.
- Rejoice in suffering. Suffering brings believers closer to Christ. Suffering brings a future reward. Suffering for sake of the Gospel should be counted a privilege. In suffering we need to be busy with the work of Christ telling the Gospel message to all people.
- Be strong in the Lord. Be dependent in Him daily. Strengthened by Him and firmly focused on Him.
- Avoid Additives. Salvation is by faith alone, not by works. Faith in Christ is the only way to salvation (Colossians 2:16-23).
- Dress for Success. “If then you were raised with Christ, seek these things which are above.” (Colossians 3:12-17). Wear the spiritual wardrobe for success. These are: tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering (patience), tolerance, forgiveness, and above all these things, LOVE.
- Be submissive (Colossians 3:18-4:1). This is God’s plan for human relationships. Wives submit to your husbands in love; children obey, parents encourage; employees follow, employers lead. All of this is to be done voluntarily and from the heart “as to the Lord and not to men.”
- Speak of Christ. Let your speech always be with grace. In essence reiterating the Great Commission of Jesus recorded in Matthew 28:19-20. Go and tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. We need to be always at work―speaking a word of witness, ready to give an answer from God.
The kind of image we must possess is that of “perfect manifestation” which is the epitome of Jesus Christ the image of God Himself (Colossians 1:15). If you once were a Christian who knew Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, he is the Reconciler who restores His relationships with His children when fellowship has been broken by their sin. Reconciliation is restoration of unity in a relationship where alienation has taken place (Colossians 1:20). The second antidote to reconciling is the willingness of submissiveness, which comes from the Greek word hupeiko, “place under.” God desires that His children willingly place themselves under His authority “as it is fit in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18, KJV).
As we walk in Christ it is important that we practice these rules to be successful in our daily Christian walk with Him. It is also important to concentrate on God’s goodness and depend on it. Our circumstances do not change the truth that the Lord is good at all times (Nahum 1:7). Staying true to your convictions is one of the utmost characteristics of a Christian to possess. For example, Daniel refused to give in when he was surrounded by the ungodly (Daniel 1). There are many Christians today who do not immerse themselves in the Word of God, the Bible. Just how they can do without it and live a successful life is actually impossible. That’s what has happened to our nation. Man himself and society as a whole has evaded the need for God’s word. What we all need is to listen to god in His word. It is encourage you. Not only that it will make you wiser and humble in the presence of the Lord (Psalm 119:49-50). One of the greatest and even the most difficult is to do good to those who oppose you. As Christ forgave you, so shall you forgive others who have offended you. Christ died in the presence of His enemies to save their souls and yours from sin. Christ suffered a brutal, violent death of crucifixion and His words before He died were, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Why can’t we forgive those who have done us injustice? According to Matthew 5:44 commanded us to return good for evil. Your reward will be great in Heaven. God will judge those who have not ask for repentance through Christ and continue to blatantly sin against God’s law. The soul that sins will see the second death. Jesus set us free from sin and His victorious resurrection on the third day after His crucifixion gave us eternal life. This bring us to the most important rule is to trust God to be your companion. He will never leave you, and He will never forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). When it’s just you and God, that’s enough (Psalm 35:1-10). Tn these words, plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me. With God behind you and His arms beneath you, you can face whatever is before you.
©2007, Teresa Carr, Skyhouse MediaWorks.
