The word “activity”
can be translated “commitment” from the Aramaic, which would suggest
that everything that we set our hearts to do or accomplish is to be soaked or “drenched”
in the beauty of His (The Lord’s)
loving-kindness.
I find it interesting that it says we need to be soaked in the
grace (loving-kindness) of Christ, not just things that we do for others in
the name of Christ, but “every activity,” Paul is leaving no wiggle room
for us by saying that the work we do (our employment), our interaction
with our friends or family, even when we go shopping at the marketplace, let every word or interaction be filled with the beauty
of our Lord Jesus.
This is a commitment
to share the love of Christ wherever we go and whatever we do so that we may
bear witness to change that has taken place within us.
“So don’t hide your light! Let it
shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine
as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in
heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (TPT)
Even Jesus
saw our daily interaction with people as an opportunity to shine our lives
before others that they may see the beauty of the Lord coming from us. Notice that Jesus says “Let it shine
brightly before others” the life of Christ isn’t just a glimmer or a flicker of the Holy
Spirit residing within us, it is more of a beacon which reveals Jesus and how
He can change our life to a life of love and inspiration.
It is
exciting to consider the possibilities that we have before us to share the
love of Christ, it isn’t about the deliberate forcing ourselves to comply with the
commands of Jesus, but a willful surrender to Jesus and allowing Him to teach
us how to love as he loves, and to respond as He responds.
Jesus died for all of His creation, not just
those of us who have grown in grace, but everyone. Jesus is calling His people home to Himself
to restore them to the relationship He had with man in the Garden of Eden, we are
being called to our first estate.
“That evening they heard the Lord
God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees.” Genesis
3:8 (GNT)
The New
American Commentary says:
“The anthropomorphic description of God
“walking” in the garden suggests the enjoyment of fellowship between him and
our first parents. The adverbial phrase “in the cool of the day or “the breezy
time of the day” translates the Hebrew phrase “wind of the day.” The New Revised
Standard Version’s rendering makes the time more explicit, “at the time of the
evening breeze.” “Walked with God” is a favorite expression in Genesis,
depicting the righteous conduct of Israel’s heroes, including Enoch, Noah, and
Abraham. Yet now the man and the woman are hiding from God in fear. God’s
presence is also noted by his “walking” in the camp and sanctuary of Israel.
Later Israel recognized that God demanded holiness and obedience if he were to
continue to “walk” among his people. It was part of the sad deception that the
man and woman who wanted so much to be “like God,” rather than obtaining the
stature of deity, are afraid even to commune with him.”
Sin brought
with it an awareness of our inadequacy of becoming like God because it shows us
that we cannot be like God apart from Him.
Fear entered into the mix when man saw what he could be and missed the
opportunity because of disobedience, when we connect to Jesus we are connected
to His transformative presence, He “walks with us” so to speak for He is within us to
make us like He is.
It is the awareness
that it is Christ that can reveal what it means to have the true nature of God in our
lives, it was always the intent of God to reveal His presence and to walk with us
and commune with us that we may hear what He has to say, and interact with Him
on an intimately personal level.
God does
have a lot to say regarding His creation and what He desires to do with it and with us, if
we desire to hear what He has to say then we must connect with Him and not
let fear separate us from Him.
The passage
above ends with “..bring your constant praise to God the Father because of
what Christ has done for you!” The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross has
expunged the guilt, shame, and fear from our lives that we may boldly come before
the Father free of any encumbrances which hold us back.
“So we can go confidently to the
throne of God’s kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help
us at the right time.” Hebrews 4:16 (GW)
Christ can now walk
freely into our lives and commune with us in the cool breezes of the day. The cool breezes are an analogy of the Holy
Spirit which blows upon us to reveal Christ as we walk with Him and constantly praise
Him for what He has done for us.
There is
a lot in this passage in these few short sentences in Colossians 3:17, with a
little digging so much is revealed.
Be Blessed;
Stephen
Barnett
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