Fortunately, I got the chance to read this book twice in the last week (I read it again during the third service of doing audio at church) and I had the opportunity to read it in both the NLT and NIV translations. It is amazing how the same Living Word is interpreted differently translation to translation. But, a few common themes came up in this book that I love:

• Work hard, with glory for the Lord
• Be forgiving of others, just as the Lord forgave us
• Don’t miss the opportunity to tell others the Good News

I saw a video of Louie Giglio that used this verse as the main topic and it is now one of my favorites:

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 4:17 (NIV)

Now that covers everything, but this book does focus on work:

Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people. Colossians 3:23a (NLT)

Some people hate to go to work, but I love it because I am out doing it for the glory of God. Plus, I have a really cool job! But, my point really is thatjust because you may not work for the church doesn’t mean that you aren’t out there doing His work everyday. Whatever we do, whether it be education, media, services, anything, we have the opportuity to show others that the light is on and that He is in us.

I believe that one of the greatest tests that God created for us was handling the stress of confilict with others. No matter how hard you try, there is always somebody who is going to get under your skin. Which is why we must continue to remind ourselves of this:

You must make allowance for each other’s fault and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:13-14 (NLT)

Man, is that way is to say than do. But that verse really does help. Finally, telling others about the Good News is our purpose for being. Another difficult test from our maker, but Paul says:

Be wise in the way that you act towards outsiders: make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5 (NIV)

I just think that is cool for anything, not just telling people about the Lord! You never know who you are going to encounter and how they fit into God’s plan for you. That is good stuff. Read on…

Next up: 1 Thessalonians

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