And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17
My mom had many key phrases that she used all the time. They were her go-to saying that she’d use to get my attention. Now, in case you’ve been asleep for a hundred pages or so, getting my attention wasn’t exactly easy. I had the attention of a gnat and all the energy of an overexcited puppy except I didn’t pee all over the place.
She’s start by saying my name, “Chet.” And when that didn’t work, and it never did, the volume went up. And up. And up. Then she’d start to pull out the big guns by yelling, “Chester.” I knew she meant me because while she called my dad Chester, her use of that name for me came with great volume and a certain shrill that still, to this day, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when I think about it.
If all that didn’t work, she would be forced to pull out the granddaddy of them all. Her nuclear option. The absolutely one thing that always, always, always got me to immediately respond. Even when I finally obeyed after this, there were going to be consequences.
At the top of her lungs, filled with emotion and frustration, she’d yell “Chester Wallace Joseph Junior, come here!” When I heard those words, I knew that I’d gone too far. That I had pushed my mom over the limit. You see, when she yelled “Chester Wallace Joseph Junior” there was no doubt about who she was looking for. Who she was talking about. There was only one Chester Wallace Joseph Junior in the entire world. And I was it.
She said it all. She used all my names. She covered the waterfront. There was nothing more she could have said. She said everything there was to say about me. Nothing was left out.
That’s exactly what Paul’s telling the Colossians to do with their entire lives. Everything that they are. The whole of what’s inside of them. All that they say, think, and do. Everything’s included. Nothing’s to be excluded.
And what were they to do with all that? They’re to bundle it up and put a nametag on it. They’re to put an address on it that identifies who it’s coming from. Where it’s coming from. The address has three parts, and you need them all.
The – shows that there’s only one. One person in charge. A single person at the top of the organization chart. Points out the one person calling the shots. Whenever there’s a bunch of different ideas and opinions, this is the person that overrules them all. Period.
Lord – they are much more than a boss or supervisor. More than a governor. More than a president. More than a prime minister. They are in total command. They have all the right and authority to ask anything. There’s only one thing to do or say when they give an order, and that’s “Yes Sir.”
Jesus – While there may be lots of people named Jesus, there’s on with “The Lord” stuck on the front. Jesus is God’s salvation. Not our salvation. Not the salvation from anybody else. No guru. No prophet. No seer. No self-help consultant.
So, what’s the end result of doing all three? Are we to hang our heads in defeat? Exhausted? Frustrated that we couldn’t get our way? Didn’t get our way? Or are we just obeying God with the idea of the big future payday here on earth or in eternity?
The real end result, the result that God wants is for us to be thankful. To be giving thanks all the time. Not just when we get our way but even when we don’t. It’s to see life from God’s perspective.
Yes, God does see us right here on planet Earth. Day by day. Hour by hour. Minute by minute. Second by second. There’s never, never, never any time that he’s not in control. But he see things from his eternal throne and perspective. He’s a whole lot less interested in our momentary troubles and pain.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
2 Corinthians 4:17
Think about Jesus. He’s about to be betrayed. Arrested. Slapped around. Beaten. Whipped. Tortured. Mocked. Crucified. And what’s his prayer? Not my will but yours be done[1]. Even under these awful circumstances, it wasn’t all about him but all about his Heavenly Father.
That’s what’s inside God’s whatever. Everything. It doesn’t matter if you’re so excited and joyful that your feet barely touch the ground. Or if you’re flat on the ground, under the excruciating weight of pain and suffering.
Paul told the Corinthians were told to do it all for the glory of God[2]. That’s putting your everything inside God’s whatever. You don’t have this. He’s got you. Our response it to let him take it and us each and every day.
Noodling Questions
What are your key phrases when it comes to faith in Jesus? Why?
Which word of The Lord Jesus’ title means the most to you? Why?
Explain which area of life is easier to give God glory through.
[1] Matthew 26:
[2] 1 Corinthians 10:31
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