...do all in His Name...
- Paul Ferrarone
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read

12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”
Colossians 3:12-17.
Here Paul is changing his focus away from avoiding temptation and sin towards doing and living in the Christian way, in imitation of Christ! In essence, Paul is asking each of us: Have you ever seriously tried to forgive someone who has wronged you? Have you ever seriously tried to be compassionate and patient? Have you ever tried to let Christ’s peace, Christ’s word, Christ’s Name be the reality around which you order your life? If you have, you’ll know it’s not easy. It takes serious prayer and real moral effort. And people who engage in that effort tend to be people who are also capable of taking difficult decisions and engaging in challenging activities in their lives.
Christian behavior, in other words, makes you more human, not less. Self-indulgence and habitual anger and lying may seem like fun for a while, but they destroy you sooner or later – often sooner.
Paul shows us that the way to live the Christian life is not just about being concerned to stamp out sin, but to ignore the positive things that should be put in our life — kindness, humility, meekness and patience — and all the rest. Notice how sexual sin, which often disguises itself as ‘love’, is a caricature of what real love looks like, as sketched in these verses. When you and I step away from sexual sin but fill ourselves with malicious gossip, we have only swapped one evil for another. And when we are very caring and supportive while allowing immorality to flourish in our life, we are just allowing deadly weeds to grow all around the flowers in the garden. We can’t select some parts of the Christian life and leave others. For any of the parts to make sense, they all need to be in place.
In particular, notice how Paul draws the picture of Jesus himself. Jesus forgave you, so you must forgive; that’s what gives you the energy to use love as the belt, or perhaps the outer garment, which holds together and in place all the new clothes that you must put on
(verse 14). Jesus the Messiah is to be the decider in all your deliberations, and his desire for peace among His people is the key factor (verse 15). Jesus’ Word is to be alive within the Christian community and in all of our lives. Finally, whatever you do or say must be able to stand up “In the name of the Lord Jesus” (verse 17). Settle that in your hearts and minds, and a great deal else will fall into place.
Today’s Prayer
Oh Lord, with You all things are possible,
and so I ask you to help me today.
Help me to be holy and beloved,
help me to clothe myself with compassion,
with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Give me Your grace to bear with one another and to forgive others.
May I never forget that, just as You have forgiven me, Lord,
so must I also forgive.
Above all, Lord, help me clothe myself with love,
and help me to be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in me richly,
and whatever I do this day, in word or deed,
may I do it in Your Holy Name, Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to Our Father in heaven. Amen
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