Back to Basics

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

“Talk is Cheap…” 

23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.   Colossians 3:23-24 NIV
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved

    Today’s Scripture was actually written to SLAVES.  Paul’s advice for SLAVES is:  23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.   Colossians 3:23-24 NIV  Okay, so none of us are slaves—in the literal sense of that word—although we ARE slaves of Jesus Christ, right?  He’s our LORD.  That makes us His servant or slave.  Thus, the words apply.  We may have a boss who treats us like a slave, or a parent, or a child.  IT DOESN’T MATTER!  Paul didn’t say, “If you have a good master, WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK AT IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART… “ There were no conditions.  So how do we DO that?  Once again, we WON’T do it unless Jesus is in control of our hearts.  It all starts with the heart.  I’ve always known that.  You probably know it, too.  But what we KNOW, doesn’t change what we DO, until it becomes “heart knowledge” instead of just “head knowledge.”  In Proverbs we read these words, 7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” Prov. 23:7a KJV*  In other words, our hearts can “think.”  In fact, until we “think” with our hearts—meaning until we internalize God’s truth at the deepest part of our beings, we don’t change.  As “westerners” we are “head” people.  The mind is the key for us.  But the Bible was written by “easterners.”  They understood that there’s a depth of knowledge and understanding that goes beyond academics to BELIEF.  That’s what we’re talking about here.  Our beliefs, the convictions of our hearts determine how we respond in everyday situations.  Jesus told us that as well, when he said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”  Matthew 12:34b NKJV**  The key is once again FILLING our hearts with God’s word.  More tomorrow…

Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:

Do you think of yourself as a “slave” of Jesus?  Why or why not?

As we continue to consider the importance of hiding God’s word in our hearts, have you been DOING that, and are you seeing a difference?

To view other studies from this series, click here.

*Public Domain
**The New King James Version New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.