Live Life to the Fullest: Part 2

Colossians 3:15-17

The Bible is a valuable resource for learning about God and His will for humanity. Last time, in Colossians 3, we examined two imperatives for living life to the fullest. They let the peace of Christ officiate and allow the Word of Christ to educate. Today is a continuation of this teaching, and the third one is to let the name of Christ motivate all we do.   

As you can see, Christ is central to each point, and we, here at Heralds of Hope, believe that everyone who wants to live life to the fullest will have Jesus Christ at the center of everything. Make Jesus your king, become His servant, and you will be well on your way to living life to the fullest.  

Let’s go now to Colossians 3 for the rest of our lesson.    

Today, we are resuming our study, and our text is Colossians 3:15-17.  

¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  

¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  

¹⁷And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 

This text provides several IMPERATIVES that, if obeyed, will enable us to “Live Life to the Fullest.”  

The Next IMPERATIVE (that will enable us to live life to the fullest) is, 

Let the Word of Christ Educate 

In the contemporary church, many people are woefully uninformed about biblical truth. I saw a recent poll of 1,000 professing Christ-followers. 60% of these folks believe that Jesus is not the only way to acceptance with the Father. That’s nearly two-thirds; to me, that’s incredible! Jesus Himself pointedly told us in John 14:6 that “no one comes to the Father except by Me.” So, either they don’t know what Jesus said, or they don’t believe it.  

For Christ-followers in the developed world, there’s no excuse for not knowing the truth about Christ or about the things He taught. We have more ways to access the Word of God than any previous generation, but, as a rule, we have a lot less Bible knowledge. And too often, even the Bible knowledge we have remains theoretical; it’s in our heads.  

HOW is this word of Christ to dwell in us–richly, in all wisdom? The word richly is plousios (ploo-see’-ose). It means abundantly plentiful, a bountiful yield, like a mountain spring gushing continually from its source without diminishing. We’re not just to have a small portion of the Word of Christ, but an abundance of it, an overflowing of it from our lives in every kind of wisdom. 

The Colossian false teachers were promising their followers a kind of wisdom available only to a select group of people, especially those initiated into their group. But Paul says, no, this wisdom contained in the Word of Christ is a resource of infinite riches for ALL genuine Believers.   

What is the context in which this bountiful richness of wisdom is to be exercised? In the Body of Christ, to which you and I have been called. Do you notice the pattern here? In the preceding verse, the peace of Christ is also to be exercised in the context of the Body.  

The New Testament teaching on the Church knows nothing of a Christ-follower who is, by their choice, detached from a local body of Believers. The prevailing idea today is that the Church exists to serve me, rather than that I’m called, as a Christ-follower, to serve the Church.  

The richness of the Word of Christ dwelling in us and educating us will produce a specific effect. That wisdom will result in teaching and admonishing one another in various ways. Teaching embodies the idea of instruction and learning. Admonishing is to caution someone or to reprove them gently. It carries the idea of warning.  

Next, the apostle provides specific ways in which this teaching of the Word and this admonition can be put into practice. Interestingly, he uses music as a tool to do this. The logical flow of thought in this text and throughout the entire teaching of the New Testament reveals that the teaching and preaching of the Word must take priority. Music is used as reinforcement, not the other way around, as is often seen in many churches today. 

Paul mentions the Psalms, the original music of Israel. We should be familiar with these because they express a wide range of emotions: joy, sorrow, thanksgiving, complaint, trust, questioning, and more. However, there is also teaching about God, His character, His sovereignty, His love and mercy, His wrath, and more. The psalms are theological and practical, not mindless repetitions of exact phrases. God is primarily the focus of the Psalms; they call us to worship Him. 

Next is hymns. Hymns are praises to God composed by Christ-followers. They are often rooted in the Scriptures. Hymns encompass a whole range of issues. And then, Paul mentions spiritual songs. This is a general description of all godly songs. These and many more have their place in our worship services, our homes, and our times of fellowship with the Lord. They can all be helpful in teaching and admonishing one another in the Lord.  

Next, Paul provides us with critical guidance on the source of our singing and how we should utilize music. He writes “…singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” How do we do that? Greek scholars tell me that the definite article is present in this phrase. So, we should read it like this: “…singing with THE grace in your hearts to the Lord.” The motivation for our singing is the grace of God, His unmerited favor that has provided our salvation and rescued us from destruction. I can sing because I am redeemed!  

Then, look where this use of music begins – it begins in the heart. Anyone can sing a song, we know that. But if the singing isn’t an expression of what is in the heart, it’s only a performance. 

I have good memories of hearing my mom sing as she went about her daily work. Like every wife and mother, she faced her share of difficulties. When money was tight, she had to be creative in running the household. But she usually had a song in her heart and on her lips.  

Growing up on a small dairy farm, I can still hear my dad singing in the milk house. Since that environment was mainly concrete and steel, he didn’t need an amplifier! He was born with such poor vision that he was classified as legally blind. Life was hard, yet he persevered in providing for and raising our family of 5 siblings. And through it all, he never lost his song. In his final months of life, when his mental faculties began to fail, the songs he had loved and sung for all those years remained in his memory. That reality still blesses me today!    

Is the Word of Christ dwelling in you? Is it educating you in the things of the Lord? Are you expressing what you learn from Him in a life of obedience? Are you encouraging your brothers and sisters in the Lord with the overflow of that Word from your life? Are you rejoicing in the unmerited favor of God through the medium of music? I hope and pray you can answer all those questions with a resounding, yes! And that leads us to the final imperative…  

The Final IMPERATIVE (that will enable us to live life to the fullest) is, 

Let the Name of Christ Motivate 

“Let everything you do, whether in word or deed, be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.” In other words, let the name of Christ motivate all you do.  

In the minds of some commentators, Paul is shifting the focus from worship to daily life. But I disagree. As I see it, Paul is simply continuing to show us what living life to the fullest looks like. Too often, we view worship as an event that occurs on specific days or adheres to certain time limits, rather than a way of life. That’s a mistake. 

I believe this last verse is like what we discussed in verse 14 during our study on pursuing perfection. Much like love is the crowning accessory of our spiritual clothing, doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus ties together this whole concept of living life to the fullest.  

In our time, we often make distinctions between the sacred and the secular. This idea doesn’t come from the Word of God. Saint Francis of Assisi was once cultivating a row of beans in his garden when a pilgrim approached and asked, “What would you be doing if you knew this was the last day of your earthly life?” Saint Francis smiled and replied: “I would keep on hoeing.” He understood that our work is an expression of our worship! 

What does this command, to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,” look like in daily life? First, doing things in His name means doing them under His authority, with His blessing, and second, doing all things with the keen awareness of my dependence on Him. If we could live out these two principles, it would dramatically change the whole character of our actions.  

Whether the task is great or small, exciting or monotonous, easy or hard, public or private, isn’t the point. If we are IN Christ and Christ is IN us, then any task is imbued with meaning and value that is eternal. But too often we ask, “What’s in it for me? What benefit do I get?” Instead, we should be asking how this task, no matter how menial, can bring glory to God.  

Notice that Paul closes this imperative in the same way he did each of the previous ones, with instructions for us to be thankful. Each of these three verses in our text contains this counsel. Why is this characteristic so important that the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, would mention it three times in three verses? 

One reason is that a lack of gratefulness is the first step on the path that leads away from God. Romans 1 describes those who once knew God but are now His enemies. And verse 21 tells us that, “…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”    

When you and I forget who we are without God, and what we’d have without Him, and when we forget where we’d be without Him, we’re in trouble. We will become, as Paul wrote, proud and foolish in our thinking and ultimately our living. And that is the path to destruction.  

Is there anyone you know whom you consider to be living life to the fullest who isn’t thankful? Unthankful people can’t live life to the fullest because they’re never satisfied. They’re always looking for something more. But thankful people are grateful for the smallest of God’s daily gifts; they express their gratitude to Him, and their lives demonstrate it to others.  

Are you living life to the fullest today? Perhaps, before, you weren’t quite sure how you could do that. However, you now know from this portion of Scripture. And now that you know, what will you do with what you’ve learned? I believe God’s desire is for every human being to live life to the fullest. But that will only happen if we let the peace of Christ officiate, the Word of Christ educate, and the name of Christ motivate in all we do.  

I desire to live life to the fullest for the glory of God; will you join me in this desire?  

Thanks, J Mark, for this challenge. I appreciate your emphasis at the end to make this teaching practical and live it out. Some view Christianity as a head religion, believing in right and having the correct doctrine. While this is important, it doesn’t stop there; our Christian faith must also affect the way we live. When J Mark encourages us to be thankful, that is more than just a thought; let’s verbalize our thankfulness to others and God.      

If you have any response to today’s teaching or would like to contact us for any reason, here are a few ways you can reach us. The best way to contact us is by email; our email address is [email protected]. Alternatively, you can message us online; our website is heraldsofhope.org. Once there, click on the “contact us” link, which is on the top right. And of course, you can write to us. Our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, PA 15533.  We would love to hear from you, so please get in touch with us in the way that is easiest for you.  

Thank you again for being with us today. We wish you God’s best as you live your life to the fullest, just as God intended. As you think about these great things, David discovered with God. “You show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Go with God and serve Him with all you have right where you are.